Here We Are
by Cow-Lover2214
Summary: Krea's different; strong, barely shows emotions, knows how to fight, and is Captain of the Tampia knights. Her kingdom is attacked and Krea must go to Camelot for sanctuary, without any of them knowing who she is. But not everyone can keep secrets or run, especially when their new friends are threatened and they are willing to do anything for them. OC/?
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Thank you for both CHARLES CHUKU and Anegl7Dean for reviewing. You reviews are much appreciated. Now, onto chapter one!_

**Chapter One: Ambush**

**3****rd**** POV**

The carriage vibrated and shook at every bump and at the uneven floor of the earth. Krea, a young girl with caramel colored locks and gray eyes that shine so strangely, it looks as if her orbs have been embedded with silver, sat in the speeding carriage, which held two other men inside and two more driving the entire thing. Her usual peach colored skin was married with cuts, scrapes, and bruises, and of you look deeply enough, you could see past the emotionless look she held in her eyes, was that she was genuinely tired. Krea felt as if she could past out any moment now, but she forced the sliver of energy she still held to keep her going. For not her sake, but also for the men she was with, who so far have protected her and cared for her. They have forced her to eat when she refused, and mostly they have forced her to keep living when all her hope was now lost.

And somewhere, deep inside, Krea knew she needed to keep moving on, but the bad part of conscious was telling her that she didn't have to; like she actually ever listened to her bad side of her conscious, note the sarcasm.

Now, the tired girl stared out the window, not only taking in the scenery given to her, but also checking the woods, feeling her paranoia set in. She then convinced herself that she was fine, and far away from the chaos and the bloodshed she witnessed only a couple days ago, which didn't make her feel any better; it only took her paranoia away.

A slight chill settled over her arms, and she subconsciously crossed her arms, slightly rubbing at her pain-sore limbs. She felt martial slide over her shoulders, and glanced up to see one of the men who sat next to her slide his knight's cloak over her. She looked up at him, and sent him a small, forced smile, which he couldn't tell if it was forced or not. They've never seen her real smile; a genuine one. No one has ever seen her eyes light up with excitement or happiness; Krea was just stoic, all the time.

"I'm fine," Krea said, starting the move the yellow and gray cloak off of her, and handing back to the knight, but he merely smiled at her, grabbing her wrists softly and pushing the cloak back to the caramel blonde.

"No arguing; it's not going to work," the man said back, this time wrapping it fully around her battered shoulders, and clipping it together. Krea briefly glanced at the small symbol it held, which marked the kingdom they belong; her home, Tampia. Inwardly, she smiled faintly and looked back up at the knight next to her, nodding her thanks before she secluded herself once more; finding solace in the quietness it brought, and the peace it held; which made her mind turn back home, to the kingdom in ruins and misery.

Almost as if time stopped, the carriage jerked to a violent halt, causing the people inside to tumble over. The men were the first to recover, standing up almost immediately, while Krea tried to command her body to move, but the pain she still felt made her move and sloth speed. The girl finally was able to move her arms to push up her upper body, which was quite the achievement, before the entire carriage was pushed over; the shouts and the grunts of pain sounding out loudly, and the sound of metal hitting metal overpowering everything.

Krea's limp body slammed against the window side of the carriage, the glass breaking easily, and the tiny shards burying themselves under her already beaten skin. Blood started to ooze out of her older cuts and where the shards had hit her, one of them being dangerously close to the important veins of her wrist. The silver eyed girl barely registered the voices outside, and the screams of resounding death, however, her mind was barely there enough for her body to cooperate her commands of strength.

She could hear voices outside, but couldn't manage to grasp onto the words. "Where's the girl," one voice asked.

"Not sure, maybe they that other carriage we saw earlier had here in it, but she could also be inside," another answered.

"She could be inside," a different voice offered.

"If she is, that girl is dead. C'mon, let's go see the other carriage, if she's not there, then she's dead, and that's what we'll tell the mistress," the first one finished, which was followed by words of agreement from the others. Their footsteps echoed away, as well as the sounds of the plants crushing beneath their footsteps.

Krea gulped, taking in a shaky breath before she gulped down some of her salvia. She twitched her hands to move, but when she placed her shaky palms against the wood, and pushed only a little, a cry of pain escaped from her throat. Tears escaped her eyelid unwillingly, and she looked down at her hip, finding a large piece of glass emerged into her hip around. She moved her hand slowly, and lightly touched the area around her wound, finding that blood was seeping out of it, and had caused a blood pool from underneath the black dress she wore.

The caramel blonde felt a small leap on panic in her heart, noting the fact that she was starting to lose too much blood. Then, the shadows crept up at the corners of her eye lids, and Krea blacked out.

**To be continued…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: In Only A Few Seconds Can Friendship Be Born**

**3****rd**** POV**

Krea groaned, her eyelids flinging straight open as she did so. The caramel girl almost wished she was still blackened out, for the pain shot through her like an arrow. And then she remembered; the ambush, the carriage falling over, her wound, the excessive amount of bleeding, and then, she was surrounded by shadows like a cloak. But now, she was alive, and shouldn't be, yet, it didn't mean Krea was grateful.

Krea glanced around at her surroundings, finding her somewhere away from the carriage, and instead, by a dirt road, up against a tree. She looked down at her wound, finding that instead of it fresh, and out in the open, was bandaged with a tight wrap. Which could only mean only thing: someone found her, and helped her. Krea then wondered for an odd moment if it had then people who had killed the knights from earlier, but she knew better. She was sure the bounty on her head was dead or alive, so why would they care if she was either, in fact, they probably would've let her bleed out then taken her corpse as evidence. On the other hand, it would've been hard to lug a disgusting dead body all the way back to Tampia.

And almost as if time had stopped itself, she caught eyes with her savior. It was a boy around her age, maybe a year older, with the purest black of hair, and pretty blue eyes. His facial features looked slightly goofy, and his body a bit more thin than a knights, but better than the poor. But what stood out the most out him, was the aura she felt, the presence her gut felt around him. He's extremely powerful, despite what his looks and structure gave off, and he's wise in his own way. Krea had to force herself not to stare in awe at him, taking in the powerful feeling he was giving off.

"Oh, you're awake, I was worried for a second that I just patched up a corpse," he grinned cheekily at her, moving quickly to her side. Krea said nothing at first, just continued staring at him, shifting ever so slightly against her spot against the tree. "Well, I just saved you from almost dying and this is what I get, silence," he continued in a joking manner, his grinned curling more when he saw the scowl that passed onto her face.

"Thank you sir; I am sorry, I wasn't in my right mind at the moment," she apologized emotionlessly, her face covered with a cool expression. In return, the man looked slightly appalled by her, and the way she was acting. He had only talked to the girls in his village, and none of them were anything like this, except maybe his neighbor who was still grieving over her dead husband, but the others were more kind and soft hearted, or they were feisty or fiery. However, this girl in front of him was neither; her expression bland and bored, and her silver embedded orbs giving away nothing, not even a hint of pain. This meant, he had to actually ask her if she was feeling any pain, or feeling sick in any way, shape, or form.

"How are you feeling, does it hurt," he asked, slightly more serious, but he wasn't answered with words, instead, Krea just stared dead into his eyes. Finally, he understood why she was speaking so little to him. "Oh, I'm Merlin, and you are," he asked, sticking his large hand out politely.

"I'm Krea," she answered, her voice a bit softer than before, and quickly shook his hand, noting how warm it was. "And yes, it hurts badly, but I think my badly is forcing itself to be numb for I am starting to lose feeling. Other than that, I have the chills, yet am heated at the same time."

"I think it might be from your cold behavior that you body is numbing," Merlin joked, but instantly stopped his laughter when he noticed the bored glaze on her irises and the single raised eyebrow. "Okay, can't take a joke. I'm currently on my way to see my Uncle, and he's a court physician. I've never met him, but I think he would help you either way. C'mon, Camelot's not that far now."

Merlin almost swore he saw her eyes light up at the mention of Camelot, but it was gone too fast to be sure. Instead she nodded, and moved to stand, with Merlin instantly helping her get onto her gelatin like legs. Wrapping an arm around her waist for safe measure, he helped her move down the dirt trail, forcing down a heavy blush and a nervous stomach. He wasn't sure why, but just having his arm wrapped around her gave him butterflies. But it was simply because she's a beautiful woman, unlike the ones in his village which were mostly cover in cow manure as fertilizer, and had dirt caking their faces like make up.

After a few moments of silence, she spoke, "I would like to thank you Merlin, for I know you would've had to carry me, and I know I'm not the lightest person."

"Oh, no, it was fine, but you're welcome," he answered, trying not to show the blush that threatened to show. Krea didn't know, but he had been thinking about when he had been carrying her. Nobody, except a baby or a small child, were very light, so he did have a bit of a trouble getting a grip on her without hurting her at the same time, but when finally found a handle on her, he noticed just how much he had her pressed against him. And as he walked all the way to a safe place, near the dirt road, he tried to ignore the feeling of her womanly curves pressed against his own form.

The walk to Camelot ended up being a quiet one but not an awkward silence, more like the one that gave you comfort. And for so far, the two could say they liked the other. Krea was still in awe by his powerful presence, and she liked the boy, for he wasn't egoistical or way too serious, much like herself, and he was plain nice. And in return, Merlin liked her. She never made a comment about him being weak, only saying she was heavy and it must've been hard, not undoable. Although her seriousness and her emotionless face were a bit of a throw off, Merlin could tell the two were going to be fast friends. For some reason, their personalities clashed in a good, clean way.

And at last, the duo finally made it to the wonderful gates of Camelot, which supposedly held a great, majestic kingdom inside. Merlin stopped for a short second, basking in it with happiness, awe, but mostly satisfaction. This was his first journey ever, and in general, it went off without a hitch. Krea had been unexpectedly, but it didn't cause any harm or screwed with his plans. Besides, in a way, he was glad to have met her; maybe if she stayed here he can already have a friend here, someone to talk to. The black haired male then glanced over at Krea, and noticed how she too stared at the kingdom, but neither her eyes nor her emotions gave anything away; she just stood there like she was studying it.

"You ready," Merlin asked, readjusting his grip her on waist carefully.

"Yes," she answered a bit breathlessly before she glanced over at Merlin, and surprisingly, felt the urge to genuinely smile. The secret warlock then helped her hobble inside, heading for the castle. He was a bit anxious, and felt a slight anxiety for this was his first time being nearly any building quite as large, but his normal behavior won over, and he was less scared.

Then suddenly, and an exclamation from the King, who stood on the balcony which over looked a large crowd of people caused the two to stop in their tracks and see what was going on. Krea, however, had a better idea of what was going on, she noticed it when she saw the poor man standing in shackles, while a person with a black bag over his head held a sharp axe in his hands. Someone was going to get executed, and the caramel blonde had a feint idea it was because of sorcery.

And just like that, the man's head was sliced clean off, a vision that caused Krea to look away sadly, and for Merlin to gasp at the horrid display. Suddenly, the man felt sick to his stomach. For what the girl next to him didn't know, was that he's a sorcerer, one born with magic, and if anybody found out, he would end up just like that man, and his mother just as angry as the man's mother, who was currently yelling threats at Uther before she used her own magic to vanish away. Now, Merlin didn't feel so great about Camelot, and no longer basked in its beauty.

**To be continued…**

_A/N: Another chapter! I had Merlin find her instead of Leon, Arthur, and Merlin this time. But don't worry Krea/Leon fans; I'll add some fluff for you guys!_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Protecting Those Who Deserve **

**3****rd**** POV**

Krea sighed, waiting outside the court physician's room. Merlin had asked her to stay by, he thought it was going to be awkward enough meeting the person, but if he showed Gaius who he brought along he wasn't sure how the man would act, considering he had never met him. However, the blonde's mind wasn't on Merlin, or Gaius for that matter, it was on the execution she had seen only minutes ago. Krea bit her lip, frowning slightly when she remembered the sad, yet wrathful look on the woman's face after she had watched her son get his head chopped off. Krea also remembered her exclamation of revenge towards the King, which caused a new sense of determination to set into her being. Despite how much she sympathized with the woman, and understood her wanting for vengeance, Krea couldn't afford for the King to lose his son.

The silver eyed girl had heard rumors about Uther Pendragon, and stories from King Gerald of Tampia. They had all said the same thing: Uther lost his wife when she was birthing Arthur, making Arthur the only heir to the throne. If Uther lost the blonde prince, and then soon later died, the throne would go to Agravaine, Uther's brother-in-law, and what she had heard about him from Gerald, was that he didn't trust the man, and if Gerald didn't trust the man, Krea knew for a fact he couldn't be trusted.

"Krea, you can come in now. The awkwardness is over," Merlin joked, walking over to the girl and helping her hobble over and inside. Even though Merlin hadn't fully healed her, he felt a sense of pride that he managed to get her this far without dying considering how much blood she lost. However, he still felt a bit bad he couldn't help her any further, which was strange considering he had just met her.

When the caramel blonde was pulled into the room, she instantly came face to an older man, with white and gray hair, whose eyes were filled with wisdom beyond belief. Immediately, Krea took a liking to this man, she always herself liking those who are wise, who are smart, and that man's aura seemed to speak it to her gut. Gaius, she remembered, help her lay down on a cot, making sure she went slowly so her wound didn't open up even more.

"How did this happen," he asked, moving over to his table as he fiddled around with some medicine vials.

"My carriage was knocked over. I had been hurt before, nothing too serious, but the crash ripped open some old and still healing cuts and the glass from the window had broke and shattered onto me. The wound on my hip had the largest shard in it. I had lost too much blood was passed out, but then Merlin came by and helped me. I'm not sure how long I was out," she answered, hissing when the older man poured a liquidly substance onto her wound. It burned, majorly, but she knew he wouldn't do that if it didn't help her.

"You are lucky then. You're overly pale, and from the large red marking on your clothes tells me you've lost too much blood. If Merlin hadn't come by and bind you up, I believe you wouldn't be breathing right now," Gaius informed, stitching up her large cut. Fortunately for Krea, she couldn't feel it.

"Yes, and that's why I am forever in his debt," she said bluntly, instantly causing Merlin to object modestly.

"No, Krea, I honestly didn't do anything. You don't need to do anything for me," Merlin instantly stated, shaking his hands slightly as if to back off the idea.

"No Merlin, I do. And I've decided that from now on, I will be your loyal guard, and protect you at all costs," the silver eyed girl continued emotionlessly, cocking her head to the side when Merlin still tried to reject her offer. But all his actions proved to be futile, for Krea would not hear of any of it.

"There we go, you're all patched up now," Gaius said, looking down upon the strange girl.

"Thank you Gaius, I am in you debt too. Like Merlin, I shall guard you from here on forth."

"Oh Krea, I don't need any guarding-"

"Nonsense," she stated, her voice an octave lower, and like that, that was the end of their conversation, the tone in her voice showing that there was nothing they could say to stop her. "May I walk, or am I bed ridden," she then asked.

"You can get up and move around, but don't push yourself; you're still healing."Gaius informed, thinking about how odd this woman was. He didn't know what country she was from, but if she was from any other kingdom, she would still be considered an odd girl. And how she stated she was going to protect them to pay off her debt was truly strange; Gaius had saved countless lives, and none of which had said something like that to him and then looked fully committed to it.

After they had visited Gaius, he had sent them on their way, asking if Merlin could do some errands for him. And of course, Krea followed in after him, making sure he was guarded the entire time. For the black haired boy, it was quite strange. She followed after him, always precisely a pace behind him, with her arms crossed behind her back, and her posture perfect and confident. Merlin kept offering her to stand next to him, but she always replied that this way she'll know he's going to be attacked at whatever angle. This statement of course, made Merlin sigh, wondering halfheartedly if he should've just left her in the carriage. Though, his suspicion about her arose, and now he was starting to make up theories of his own.

This girl is too strange to be a normal one; she had to be a knight of some sort, or maybe even an assassin. His theories then started to grow ridiculous, and then he shook his head, telling himself he shouldn't let his curiosity get the best of him.

That didn't last very long when he saw a blonde haired male arrogantly picking on a smaller serving boy.

**To be continued…**

_A/N: Yep so now Krea is guarding Merlin like a dog, hehe. Don't worry, the story is going to pick up faster later on. _


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: Unpredictable Meetings**

**3****rd**** POV**

Watching the scene before her, the caramel blonde couldn't but sigh, wondering distinctly how long she was going to live with how quickly Merlin seemed to get in trouble. His move was quite bold, and admirable, she had to give him that, especially since he stood up to knights, once of which being Prince Arthur himself. Although, she was sure he didn't know; he seemed to not even been to Camelot, or at least knew the prince was blonde and blonde people were rare there.

And instead of helping like she had vowed, she decide to let the black haired boy make his own mistake while she sat back and watched as he learned his lesson: never purposely pick a fight with nobles. It was just how the world was nowadays, as much as unfair, cruel, and sickening it was. In truth, Krea believed in equality, like a king is equal to peasant boy for they both work hard. This was one of the reasons she liked King Gerald of Tampia for he too believed in equality, and treated everyone with respect, unlike most kings who would punish a peasant for accidentally speaking out of turn.

Turning her attention back on Merlin, she watched as the poor boy attempted to throw a punch at his face, with weak stance and a very poor move altogether, and the golden haired prince easily grabbed his fist, turning his around and trapping his arms. And in a matter of seconds, Merlin had already gotten himself thrown into the dungeon, causing Krea to outwardly groan, gripping her forehead as if to relive a headache.

Deciding to be the bigger man here, ironically, the silver eyed woman moved up to Arthur who was talking adamantly with the other knights, seemingly laughing at Merlin's poor attempt. In return, Krea gritted her teeth, trying to keep from lashing out. She vowed to protect Merlin and that included his honor as well. "Your highness," she spoke out, causing the man to turn to her as well as the group of the knights. She continued to stare at the prince bowing at him rather than curtsying making Arthur blush lightly. He stared in her silver embedded orbs, and down the rest of her body, trying extremely hard to keep down a blush for he liked what he saw.

He then noticed the smile on her face but felt a weird churning feeling in his stomach when he noticed her eyes weren't smiling; it was a clearly a fake smile, as if to lighten the spirits. This caused confusion to wash over the group of wondering, never meeting a girl who fake smiled at Prince Arthur, usually falling for his good looks and his title.

"I've come here to formally apologize, sire, for my friend, Merlin." She stated, trying to keep herself from scolding the man who hurt Merlin's honor. If there was one thing to know about people in general, they hated when someone picked at their honor and threw it out the window like fecal matter. Krea herself wasn't a very prideful person, in fact, she admired someone who could beat her in combat, however, she too had honor and didn't like to appear weak in front of anybody, she was better than that. "I hope he didn't cause too much trouble."

"Phht, like that weakling could lay a hand on me," Arthur boasted, feeling the need to gloat about his strength in front of a pretty girl. Unfortunately, he had never met Krea before, and her response shocked him to the core.

Instead of cooing to him or stumbling over her words like other girls, the smile on her face dropped in an instant, showing her true colors. Laid upon her features was an emotionless mask which held some fury much to Arthur's dismay.

"I just came to apologize, now that is over I shall excuse myself, sire," she said one last time, bowing like a man again. She then turned on her heel and strutted off, causing them to stare at her back in wonder. Arthur felt almost humiliated basically being turned down by her but he wasn't going to be like his much colder and crueler father, he let her go, deciding that since he already sent a boy to a dungeon he shouldn't send another. Besides all she did was turn away and leave, it wasn't like she was purposely downgrading his honor.

Instead, Arthur turned his attention back onto his knights, chatting with them once more and taking Merlin and the strange girl out of his brain, even though he had to wonder: what is she to him?

Once Krea had gotten away, she then went to Gaius, deciding to tell the older man of the predicament that Merlin seemed to have gotten himself into, and she had a feeling the wise man wouldn't be too happy. Mostly likely he'd call Merlin an idiot and tell him he deserves to be cleaning out the stables, which she was sure would most likely happen; kings don't take kindly to those lower than him that talk bad about him or his royalty family.

"Gaius," she called, entering gingerly. She soon found the older man inside, making some kind of potion.

"Yes dear, what is it," he asked, noting the downward curve to her lips on her rather stoic face. He already had a bad feeling about this, and wondered if maybe the boy had already gotten himself in trouble; he wouldn't put it past him to do so, the boy wasn't careful enough.

"It's about Merlin, he's been sent to dungeon. We saw a group of knights, one of them being Prince Arthur, bullying servant boy, and Merlin stepped in. I formally apologize for not stepping in, but I wanted him to learn to him," Krea answered, and Gaius nodded, understanding why she did so. He needed to learn from this experience for he'll do it again if he doesn't.

The physician sighed. "I'll go talk to Uther about releasing him," Gaius continued, walking out to leave.

"Gaius, if you please, tell Uther that I wish to have a private meeting him on an urgent matter if you will." Krea asked. She had planned on meeting with the king since the moment she left her kingdom Tampia, and it would just be easier if she got Gaius to do so. No one could know about her presence here, or who she once was; no one.

"I'll mention it, and if you will, please take this vial over to Sir Leon. He had recently been hurt on a hunting trip and the wound has been giving him pain even though it's suppose to have healed by now. Tell him to take a sip every four hours and it should fully heal his wound." The caramel haired girl nodded, grabbing the strange colored vial and watched as Gaius left the room, pitying the man. She was sure his life here had been peaceful enough for living her, or at least, till Merlin made his appearance. She knew he was in for an adventure with that boy around.

Following Gaius orders, she quickly asked a guard where the knight was currently, telling him about her errand for the court physician. This led her to the training grounds, which brought up nostalgia for the silver eyed girl, causing her grip on the medicine to increase, her knuckles turning white as she did so. Krea then tried to shake away the feeling, but it embedded itself into her being, which made her stare out at the grassy land, wishing she was a certain place somewhere faraway from Camelot.

Jerking her head away, she quickly caught sight on a male with a sort of dark blonde hair slightly tinted with red. His clothes and armor pointed out knight, and she had a feeling this was the man they called Sir Leon.

Washing away the feeling of the past, she walked up to Leon from behind, gently taping him on the shoulder, unable to trust her voice from the bile that had raised up in her throat. Suddenly, the man jumped around, swinging his sword as if he was under attack, which made Krea's instincts take in and leap out of the way, wondering for a split second if he was going to kill, if he knew about her title, who she was, and where she was from. She panicked inwardly for a second, wondering where she had gone wrong, where she had slipped up which had given away her current location. But all her worries were wiped away with the man sighed greatly, sheathing his sword.

"I am very sorry milady, I thought I was under attack," he apologized, a slight chuckle to his words. "Might I say you are very stealthy," he then said jokingly, still feeling sheepish for attacking a random woman.

"It's quite all right, I am sorry to have startled you. I am running an errand for Gaius and he told me to give you this. Said you should take a sip every four hours and your pain should finally go away," she answered, handing him the vial.

"Thank you milady and I believe we've never met before. Are you in apprenticeship," he asked, taking the container from her hand, trying to ignore the tingles that ran up his spine with his fingers brushed hers.

"No actually his actual new apprentice just got him thrown in the dungeon." Krea answered, suddenly feeling a strange urge to laugh. She never really laughed, but… "My name is Krea, and I am no lady, just a serving girl."

"Ah, well, to me you look like a lady," he continued with a smiled. "Well Krea, my name is Sir Leon, or just Leon, at your service." He reached a hand out which she accepted, thinking they were going to shake, but then she remembered that he didn't know of who she was, all she is, is a girl, and so, he kissed her hand, his lips lingering there a second too long, enjoying the smooth top of her peach colored hand.

And as he released her and watched her as she walked away he couldn't help but think about his reaction to her and her body. He couldn't help but remember how easily she dodged his sword, but instead, he locked those moments away, not dwelling on them too much and turned his thoughts about this girl. He knew he just had to get to know her.

**To be continued…**

_A/N: Another chapter, I hope you all enjoy!_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: Bonding Can Be Over the Silliest Things**

**3****rd**** POV**

Thankfully, Gaius was good at convincing the king, it had seemed the two had been long time friends.

Merlin had finally been released the next day, part of his punishment being staying in the dungeon overnight and the other part being humiliation; you humiliate the royalty, you get humiliated in return. And what Merlin didn't know of yet, was that afterwards he would have to clean out the stables; a disgusting and horrendous job to do, but it had to be done.

And so, Krea watched from the side lines at a safe distance as the poor black haired boy was pelted with rotten food. He wasn't enjoying a minute of it, that was for sure, no matter how many cheesy remarks about how this was nothing and he was fine.

"You're a hero," a sudden voice spoke up, causing Merlin and Krea to look over at the voice. There stood a pretty dark haired woman, who in her garb was most likely a servant, with a kind smile. "To the people you are," she continued, seemingly shy.

"Yes, I am defiantly feeling the love," he remarked sarcastically, watching as some children ran off to find more rotten food to throw at him.

"Well, no one has ever stood up to Arthur before, so what you did was brave," she continued, blushing a deep red.

"Well Arthur's a prat and deserves to get his butt kicked." Merlin grinned, his ego rising with her words. "Besides, what I did was nothing, I just went easy on him," he continued, not noticing how much he was throwing himself to the wolves.

"You're right; he is quite arrogant, isn't he? I'm Guinevere by the way, but everyone calls me Gwen," she introduced.

"I'm Merlin, and you might want to step back, my fans are back," he said, nodding towards the children, fully armed. In order for Gwen to stay out of the crossfire, Krea grabbed her gently on the arm, moving her to her own spot.

"Oh," Gwen exclaimed, not noticing the cold eyed girl before. "Sorry, I didn't see you there," she said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. In return, the caramel blonde forced a smile, trying to reassure the brunette.

"It's fine, I just didn't want to accidently get pelted with Merlin's mistake," she answered, taking no offence. People were people, and normally good looks/charm can make people forget their surroundings, especially if they walked up to flirt; Krea held no offence to that, feeling like she knew this girl wouldn't be petty enough to purposely forget her existence.

"You like him, don't you," Krea asked bluntly, raising a single eyebrow in questioning.

"Wh-what, no-no, I don't. I mean, I barely know, him; I just met him," Gwen stumbled, causing her companion to stop her in her tracks. She suddenly felt bad for embarrassing the seemingly kind girl, but she had only simply asked a question.

"Hey, it's fine. You may not like him yet, but you admire him, and for his bravery against a noble. That's just a start," Krea continued, her silver colored orbs locking onto Merlin who was trying desperately not to grimace at the rotten fruit, but as expected, failing. She was sure the smell, the taste, and the feeling was absolutely sickening, so she did not blame him.

"Oh well, I'm Guinevere, but call me Gwen," Gwen introduced, ignoring Krea's earlier words.

"I'm Krea," the caramel blonde answered, staring straight at Gwen. "So do you work at the palace Gwen," she then asked, deciding she might as well increase her small talk skills while waiting for Merlin to be finished. In all honesty, her small talk was terrible mostly because she found the job useless, tiring and not worth the time. After all don't most people lie in small talk? They ask you how your day has been and they always answer "good" or "great" even if their day had been terrible so what was the point.

"Is it that obvious?" Gwen chuckled.

"No, just that your outfit is more… pretty and nice that outfits of those who have to work anywhere else."

"Yes I do work for the palace. I am Lady Morgana's personal maid," she answered with pride filling her voice, causing Krea's eyebrow to cock in interest; she found few who have ever talk prideful about the noble they work for, only saying it was tedious job, and they hated the noble in general.

"From the way you said it I'm going to guess you have a good relationship with the lady?" she asked.

"Yes, we're friends, and she's a very kind woman, different from other noble girls," Gwen answered, looking Merlin's way before a frown crossed her lips. The caramel blonde looked over as well, and found quite a sight; apparently pelting Merlin with fruit was so fun they decide to find out things to pelt him with: that being cow manure.

"Hey! Rotten vegetables only," he joked, watching as some kids were even going for fresh vegetables and fruits as well.

As if on cue, Gwen and Krea both shook their heads at him, a smile adorning the brunette's face while the caramel blonde sighed exasperated, wondering how long she was going to live with this boy around.

Shortly after, the pretty serving girl left, leaving Krea alone as she watched Merlin suffer his first humiliation punishment. And after he was finally freed, she kindly started to lead him back to the physician's place, wrapping her arm around his back in order to steer him better. It seemed from staying hunched over that long his back was having a fit, and even as she carried him along, she didn't worry about the smell, in fact it didn't even bother her. She cared more about helping the man who saved her life rather than worrying about helping him all due to a smell, and it wasn't long before the two made it back, Gaius absent.

Krea then started to clean him off, despite Merlin's protests, and even helping with some cuts and splinters he received. When she was done, she thought this would be the last time he did something like this, but of course, this is Merlin. She didn't know the next day he would already get himself into trouble.

**To be continued…**

_A/N: Please ignore any grammar mistakes!_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: Jealousy Can Come From Unexpected Places**

**3****rd**** POV**

Later on in the day Krea was soon escorted to the audience room where King Uther resided, ready to tell him all of the news. It was the reason why she had come to Camelot in the first place, and it was be foolish for her to delay it off just because of some trouble Merlin was creating. And of course she was being escorted by none other than Sir Leon, who weirdly blushed a tiny bit at her arrival, but the caramel blonde shook it off, thinking nothing of it. However, she could tell he was slightly suspicious with the calculating look he sent her way, which was expected, but she could tell she could trust him somewhat, being the Captain of the Knights of Camelot.

During her walk to Uther, she was sent all kinds of bizarre looks, wondering exactly who she was. For as Krea walked, it was with perfect posture, with her hands held behind her back, her eyes forward and her chin up, and her hips lacking the usual sway. In all, she looked confident, and much like a noble. This didn't go unnoticed by the blonde haired knight. Most of the servants cowered away, finding threatened by the powerful aura which surround her being, giving off a wave of confidence and superiority, one which only really felt around royalty.

"King Uther will be inside," Leon announced to her neutrally, standing aside as he opened the large double doors, revealing to Krea the King of Camelot. King Uther was an older man, much like most kings, with gray hair and a receding hairline, and what looked to be hazel colored eyes. A stern expression was plastered on his face, his eyes seemingly cold as he stared back at Krea, who didn't flinch away like most. In fact, she stared just as hard back at King Uther, her eyes stoic, and her expression almost bored.

The doors closed behind them, and just as, Uther placed his hands on his hips, resting them next to his sword in case needed. The request by Gaius had been an unusual one to Uther, but nether less he accepted it for he trusted the man's judgment, but he knew there were times when Gaius had been proven wrong in the end, no matter how wise the older man maybe.

Then shockingly, Krea bowed man-like at him. "Your majesty, my name is Krea," she introduced, straightening herself back up. In Uther's life he had experienced a lot of peculiar occurrences, but the emotionless gaze she held, and the bow she bestowed on his instead of a curtsy was defiantly a first for him.

"And I am King Uther Pendragon," he said back, his voice booming out.

"My lord, I have come in bringing bad news from King Gerald, King of Tampia." Krea explained, reaching out and showing Uther the seal of Tampia which she had held in her hand the entire walk. The seal had been given to her by the king himself in giving Uther proof of what news she brought. In response, Uther looked shocking at the seal, snatching it in his hands to see if it was real, and of course, it was. Truthfully, this was the last thing he suspected from this meeting; thinking maybe that this girl was here to assassinate him or something along those lines, but it seemed to be something else. This worried him greatly, knowing King Gerald to be one of the greatest and long-time allies Camelot has ever had, and also knowing him as a good friend.

"And what news do you bring," he asked solemnly, the slight narrowing of his cold eyes showing his true worry.

"Tampia has been under attack by the princess herself, Princess Derlinya. She was banished from the kingdom and ripped from her title and heredity when she attempted to committed a horrendous act, which is a form of treason against the crown. Shortly afterwards she went to King Cenred in hopes for solace, which he granted her. Since Tampia is a kingdom allied with Camelot, she convinced him to attack us with his newly expanded army.

"We were greatly outnumbered, and the attack had been quite a surprise. We fought as best as we could but… there was a sorceress with them; making most of our knights turn to the other side, which was our greatest asset, especially our knights being nearly the best in the world. King Gerald could tell we were losing, so he gave me the seal, and sent me to Camelot with a few knights who hadn't possessed the spell to give you this message.

"My King wants you to know that he understand why you cannot help Tampia, for you would be fighting against King Cenred after you two had just gotten a shaky peace treaty, but he would like one favor if you'll allow it. That being: housing… me." Krea finished, finding herself hesitating at the last part.

"And why you," he asked bluntly, his mind still taking everything in. He looked to be in shock, yet he kept the mind set straight.

"Please allow me to reintroduce myself with my name and title. My name is Krea, Captain Krea of the Knights of Tampia, and stand in for the general of the Tampian Army." she restated, adding a bow afterwards. After that, Uther was severely confused, but then he realized there was no way she could be faking this. Her posture and devoid of emotions was basically screaming someone with holding a title some sort, and he had heard a rumor of Tampia having a woman as their general and as their captain.

"You said there were other knights with you, and they helped you escaped. Where are they now?" Uther then asked, not sure if he was going to like the answer coming his way.

"Sire, they are dead. On our travels to Camelot our carriage was attacked, by whom I do not know, only that they were working for King Cenred and/or Princess Derlinya. I had no knowledge of the ambush till the carriage had fallen over. The two knights inside with me jumped out and attacked, but at the time I was supporting injuries, and still am, and I couldn't will myself to get up no matter how much I tried. And due to the crash I also had been impaled in my hip with a glass shard and was bleeding heavily. The men who had attacked managed to kill the other knights, and idiotically did not look for me, not expecting someone as bruised as me to survivor the crash." Krea told, her eyes shadowing with sadness. She had finally grasped it all, and it was now hitting her like a brick, and right in front of the king no less, but she couldn't stop herself.

Uther took in her fully, and saw what she meant. Though she wore a dress, he could see a bump on her hips, indicating where the wrappings sat. The he took in the small cuts that laid on her exposed arms and a couple on her face, mostly likely from the pieces of glass as well as the light bruising that littered her form. These injuries were hard to fake, so it was easy to believe her. It was then the king finally realized what kind of girl he was talking to. Krea, is a survivor, and despite the stoic mask she wore over her features, she truly did have a heart and feelings, and have been through a lot the past days since Tampia was taken over. He was sure it must have been hard for her, and yet, she was trying to defeat her demons. He instantly felt respect grow for her. "One last question," he said finally, his voice softer than normal.

The caramel blonde nodded for him to continue.

"What was the crime that Princess Derlinya did to get her banished," he asked.

"She… attempted to kill me in my sleep sire. It is a long story as to why, but in all, jealousy and a need for attention can cause people to do outrageous things," Krea spoke, rubbing the back of her neck as she looked away. It was clearly obvious this was a sore subject for her, and an uncomfortable one. But she didn't need to say it for the king to know: the princess had been jealous of her. He was sure that with being Captain of the Knights of Tampia, she got a lot of attention from King Gerald, and maybe Derlinya was jealous of that.

Strangely, Uther, the cold hearted man known to being ruthless in battle and against magic in general, felt the urge to comfort Krea; to put his hand on her arm in hopes he could help her. But the king quickly shook it off, and instead asked another question; the main important one.

"So, what's the plan? How shall we house you without anyone finding out about your relations to Tampia?"

**To be continued…**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: Hidden Emotions Revealed**

**3****rd**** POV**

"I believe the better way is to continue on acting like I'm a commoner. For a kingdom, Camelot is more diverse than others, so no one will suspect of me just because I am from another outer "village." If I were to be housed as a noble, there's a higher chance of suspicion and my cover might be blown. At this moment I am staying with Gaius, your court physician, though I will need to find another place to stay so I am not in his way, sire." Krea declared; she had already thought through the details.

King Uther nodded, understanding her plan. "Very well, if anyone asks tell them you're from a small village in the outer reigion of Camelot's lands. I shall find you a place to stay, and in order to fit in more and raise less suspicion I think it's best to have you be an apprentice to Gaius for I trust him highly and it would be easier since you two have already met. Tell me, do you have any medical experience?" he asked. At that question, the caramel blonde winced. The truth was was that she wasn't very good at all with anything medical related. She could fight, yes, she could keep her emotions in control, yes, she can train knights, yes, and she could lead an army or plan an attack, yes. But medicine? No. Maybe this might be a great experience for her; maybe she could learn more about the arts of healing. For some reason the thought made her slightly giddy, it might be nice to know a thing or two while out on the battle field, that is, if Gaius was willing to teach to her. A girl with no experience at all.

"No I don't, at that subject I would be classified as a simpleton. But if Gaius would be willing to teach me, then I would happily learn from him. However, Gaius already has an apprentice, and I'm sure you already know. Nobody takes on two apprentices; it's too much work."

"Then for now you'll work for the local blacksmith, I am sure he would enjoy the help, especially since his daughter has another job. I'll have him notified of your arrival but make sure to mention it won't be permanent, after all, I am sure Gaius' current student could find another job," Uther said, inwardly wondering why he was fighting so hard to give Krea the job that she's clearly excited for.

"Thank would be lovely, thank you your majesty. And thank you so much for all your help. My stay here won't be forever; there will come a time I will have to return to Tampia and take it back, but thank you for all your help. I am sure King Gerald is thankful as well," Krea stated, followed by another honorary bow.

"Of course; for now you should stay with Gaius. I'll have a place ready for you by tomorrow." Uther stated, moving away as if to end discussion; that was before the silver eyed girl called out, stopping him in his tracks.

"King Uther? Thank you so much once more, and I know you are doing this for King Gerald, but… I am appreciative of this also. Tampia was my home; it still is, and I am thankful that you are helping me, in a way, reclaim it once more. Sorry, I've spoke too much, just know I am thankful and in return I shall secretly protect Camelot as much as possible." With all of that out in the air, Krea left the room, ignoring the stare she received from Leon as she left.

And in the audience room, the older man felt himself left hanging, thought running through his head at lightning speed. In all truth, Uther felt appalled by her; she was strong, and yet in that short amount of words she expressed she still had a heart behind her cold exterior, which reminded him much like himself. For some strange reason the king felt himself wanting to protect her, to care for her, and more.

He tried to shake off the thought, returning to his throne, trying to clear his thoughts away.

**Krea POV**

My talk with the king went well, and even though I felt slightly bummed out that I couldn't learn from Gaius, it was nice to know I was a baby step closer to reclaiming the kingdom. All left now was not letting my cover get blown, and much patience.

Currently I was walking back to the physician's room, when suddenly I felt a calloused hand grab my arm, causing my instincts to get in attack formation. Then I came face to face to a certain knight; Sir Leon. "Oh, sorry," he said, finally realized how much he shocked me. In response I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering what he wanted. I was sure he was going to start interrogating me about my discussion with the king, but his next words threw me off completely. "I want just… wondering if you're all right? I mean, you aren't in trouble, are you?" he asked, concern deep in his voice.

To be honest, I wasn't sure why he was concerned, I had only talked to him once, and it was quite a strange meeting. I realized to him it must look like I'm in trouble, meeting with the king secretly. "No, I'm fine, but thank you anyways. I just came here from a small village in Camelot's lands, so King Uther was just wondering how it was down there since it's kind of hard to get any news being so far away," I lied, my thoughts flinching. For some reason I felt guilty for lying, which probably had to do with the fact that so far all this guys has been to me is true.

"Okay… I was just, worried," he finished. I just nodded, continuing on with my journey. Leon is sure strange, but not in a bad way.

**To be continued…**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight: Mess With the Bull, You Get the Horns**

**3****rd**** POV**

Straightening out her dress a bit, she took in a deep breath, knowing looks always started off as a first impression. Even as she tried to make herself look a bit nicer, she knew that her jet black dress had seen better days, and was littered with rips, and in all, it was just worn out. This added another thing to her list for the day, which made her inwardly groan, wishing clothes were as durable as armor. In the end she just went ahead, entering the blacksmith's place, looking around for a man named Tom.

"Hello," she called out, making her entrance. Krea hoped she was in the right place, it was always a fear of hers to walk into a place that wasn't where she should be.

"Ah, you must be the girl I've been told about," a voice popped up, causing Krea to instantly jump to sound. She then came face to face with a slightly older man, who had dark, almost exotic, skin, and black hair as well as dark irises. He smiled kindly at her, his eyes filling with the same amount of kindness, which reminded her much of Gwen. In fact, the man looked as if he would be related to her, but the blonde decided not to ask, and instead, she smiled her usual fake smile, not wanting to put the man in edge despite the fact the curve of her lips didn't reach her eyes. The metal eyed girl wasn't blind, she knew that her usual stoic expression put a lot of people on edge, and sometimes made them a bit afraid of her, not knowing what she could possibly do to them; if she was all bark and no bite.

"Yes, I am. I'm Krea, I was hoping I could be your apprentice sir," she answered politely, dropping the smile from her face. "Though I understand if you do not want me, I don't have any experience at all, whatsoever, with blacksmithing, and the apprenticeship might not last long for if Gaius' apprentice gives up on him, I'll be taking his place. So it's completely understandable if you refuse me." An appalled expression ran over his features for a second, before he smiled, liking the girl before him.

"Interesting… Well I'll gladly take you on as my own apprentice. You see, I had been teaching my daughter Guinevere before Lady Morgana had came here and Gwen had become her head maid. So I only got to teach her a couple things, it would be great to actually get to teach someone else who has time. You'll start tomorrow, it that alright?" he asked. Krea nodded in response, noting this man was nicer than others; he actually considered her schedule/plans instead of ordering her.

"Thank you very much Tom, and I'll see you bright and early tomorrow?"

Tom smiled. "Bright and early," he repeated, and disappeared once more to his work, causing the caramel blonde to leave so that he could have some space. Over all, Krea was starting to like Camelot from the inside rather than its beauty. Both Tom and Gaius, who worked for the people as well as the king, had been kind to her so far. If she wasn't so loyal and so adamant on bringing freedom back to Tampia, she would've stayed here and continued her life in this great kingdom, whose only fault was King Uther with his ignorance to magic. It was truly the main downfall of this kingdom, but of course, no place is perfect.

Moving her way through the crowds of people, she made her way over to where she last left Merlin, wishing he didn't get in any trouble. She hated treating him like a kid, but with how quickly and frequently he found himself in a pickle, she almost had to treat him like a child.

Pressing a hand to her chest, she found herself relived when all she saw Merlin doing was finishing the rest of his sentence, that was until Arthur came up to him. Which made Krea outwardly groan, angry at the blonde haired prince who obviously came up to him to taunt the black haired boy, who wouldn't stand down even to the prince of Camelot. And like bee's to honey a whole crowd already swarmed them, watching in excitement for more entertainment given to them by an idiotic peasant, and an arrogant prince.

At first, she almost contemplated pushing through the tough crowd, who watched in silence, and from the grunts she could hear, it sounded like Merlin was trying his hardest to fight Arthur off, but was dreadfully failing. In the end, Krea glared at everyone, giving off her powerful aura, and just like that, a line a space was formed for her, letting her get to the very front.

"Wait!" Krea heard the prince call, right as she got to them, watching as Merlin's arms were being held by a guard. "You're an idiot, but a brave one. I don't know _Mer_lin, there's something about you," he continued, staring down at the black haired boy with narrowed eyes.

"Merlin!" Krea called in exasperation, moving to place herself right in front of him. And just like that, he looked like a kicked puppy, ready for whatever the tough woman had for him. They didn't notice, however, that Prince Arthur had stayed nearby, a single eyebrow rose in curiosity. "I leave you alone for five minutes and you've already got in trouble," she scolded, crossing her arms over her chest.

As the caramel blonde glanced out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the crowd was still intact, and she sneered their way. "There's nothing to see here, go on, git!" she growled loudly, and instantly, they all skittered away, a look of fear placed into their eyes.

"Sorry Krea, but I wasn't going to let this clotpole get away," Merlin rolled his eyes. For some reason he still felt the urge to out Arthur right in front of Krea; most likely out of his stolen pride.

"Well Merlin, it was an idiotic move; you should've acted like the better man here." She continued to scold, just before a softer look was shown in her eyes. And before Merlin and Arthur realized why, as they gawked at it, it was gone, and instead, the emotionless gleam was back. "I'll see you tomorrow, and then we talk," was all she said before the guard finally took him away, leaving Krea alone with the blonde prince, who stared at her in bewilderment. There was something different about her, and he just couldn't out his finger on it.

There was a pregnant pause; the metal eyed girl staring down at the ground with a cold expression while Arthur analyzed her, wondering what made her so different, what made her stand out from the rest.

"I would apologize for my friend's actions sire, but in honesty, you had it coming. I saw you go up to Merlin, and from meeting my friend from the first time, I thought you would get the idea that Merlin always stands up for himself and others. And I think you do know that, deep down, but yet, you still went up to him and baited him, taunted, and for that I cannot forgive." She finally glanced up at Arthur, causing a shiver to run down his spine. Her eyes were filled with so much fury, so much malice, it was terrifying. He finally understood what made her so different. "Leave Merlin alone, and we'll leave you alone. I don't tolerate people messing with my friends. The first time I understood for Merlin stepped out of his place, but this time, it was you who did the wrong doing."

Instantly, Arthur felt mad, being belittled by this random girl. "You cannot threaten me," he seethed, not wanting to back down to the dethatched girl.

"It's not a threat, more like a promise. Besides even if you do lock me up, would it really matter? Things like those don't faze me, so what exactly would you get out of it hmm?" She asked, and with that she spun on her heel and left the prince in the dust, staring strangely at this girl. She certainly was something else.

**To be continued…**

_A/N: Thank you for all the followers and the favorites! There was so many this chapter! I am happy that there are people who are enjoying the rewrite!_


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine: Sometimes You Can't Expect the Unexpected**

**3****rd**** POV**

Krea was lucky she had decide to buy those clothes that day, for later that night there was to be a celebration accompanied with a feast, and entertainment. Apparently the entertainment was suppose to be this popular woman singing, although, Krea didn't get much of the specifics; in all honesty, she had heard about the woman, and how she usually sang in an opera voice with a different language. That kind of music wasn't something Krea liked very much, but at least she would be wearing something more presentable than her old black dress. She had bought some trousers as well as some shirts, which were obviously meant for men, and some dresses so that she could at least fit in somewhat. She planned on getting the rest of the clothes some other time, besides; she hated being fitted for clothing.

Tonight, however, she felt a bit strange. She wore a burgundy dress with some black shoes and did her hair nicely, but it wasn't particularly the clothes that made her feel strange, more like the reaction she got. The second she walked into the room all eyes seemed to drift towards her, staring at her intently with some jaws agape. Truthfully, Krea had no idea why, and simply raised an eyebrow at their behavior and went to stand next to Gaius, who greeted her kindly. In particular, Sir Leon, another knight she had never met, Uther, and Prince Arthur kept their eyes trained on her, staring at her intently. It made her want to squirm slightly, yet, she didn't, pushing the uncomfortable feelings away; she knew it was only because she didn't know them well enough to know whether or not their looking could do harm.

"You look nice dear," Gaius complimented, his wise eyes shining at Krea.

"Thank you," she answered, running a hand through her hair awkwardly, right when Merlin made his appearance. Just like the others, he gaped at her, only seeming to remember a wound covered girl which looked less appeasing and more haunted.

"W-wow, you look nice," he stuttered a bit, smiling cheekily at her while a small blush rose on his cheeks. In response, Krea plastered a usual fake smile on her face, placing her hand on his shoulder as if to comfort him. She felt a twinge of guilt thinking about their earlier conversation and how she had chewed him out, but it appeared it didn't faze him at all. He still seemed like the cheery, ole Merlin; the usual. But Krea's gut was still telling her she should apologize later for being so harsh with him, but not exactly taking back her words.

"Thank you Merlin," she replied her voice softer than normal, earlier thoughts saved for later.

She then turned her attention back on the crowd, watching as people smiled and chatted, along with laughing, their eyes filled with joy. In particular, Uther, who gazed joyously at his son. It was obvious to anyone that King Uther of Camelot, was indeed very proud of Arthur, and it wasn't hard to know why. Krea had heard stories of Arthur before, and heard he was a very great fighter, and excelled in swordsmanship. There's yet been a man who's defeated him in a fight, which intrigued Krea greatly, some day she would like to have a spar with Arthur, to see if she finally met her match, or if maybe someone might finally be able to defeat her.

As the caramel blonde stared at Arthur, in thought, Merlin glanced over, a clearly annoyed expression on his face as he followed her eyes. _He always get's all the girls, _his thoughts snapped, thinking that Krea might have an infatuation with him, which wasn't particularly true.

Soon after, Gwen and Lady Morgana entered the room, Gwen's eyes instantly searching for a familiar black haired man while Morgana headed towards Arthur and Uther, smiling at them. Even though Morgana was quite stunning, especially with her porcelain skin, her dark hair, and her striking green eyes, a considerably lot of men still found the new girl, with the interesting silver colored eyes, much more beautiful once they caught sight of her all cleaned up instead of covered with dirt and wearing a dress that clearly had seen better days.

Suddenly, Uther quieted down the guests, content clearly shown in his eyes. As he went to his speech Krea turned her attention elsewhere. She moved so that she stood next to Merlin as the others sat down, ready to dine. She had a weird feeling stirring in her gut, and she wasn't exactly sure why.

"Our honorable guest, Lady Helen," Uther announced, his arm raised, presenting her. Out came a pretty woman, with brunette hair and plain features, nothing too special, wearing a very pretty dress. She smiled towards the crowd, yet her smile was off; there was something wrong.

Narrowing her eyes at the Lady Helen, the caramel blonde kept one hand on her hip, where she had hidden a knife, awaiting for an attack.

Then, suddenly, Krea felt an overwhelming feel of exhaustion. She felt as if she was going to pass out on the spot; her legs became wobbly like a broken toy, her eyes drooped with heaviness, and over all, her body felt like it had been wiped of any energy she contained not only moments ago. This overwhelming sensation put the caramel blonde on edge; it was then she knew for a fact that there was defiantly something wrong.

But as quickly as she felt tired, it was gone, and all Krea's energy had been restored. Snapping her neck up quickly, giving her a painful ache of whiplash, she saw what had truly happened.

In place of the plain noble woman who had been singing moments before was the older lady she had seen only yesterday, claiming her vengeance against the king for the death of her son. The old lady has magic, just like her son. And currently she was being smashed to the ground by a chandelier, her face screwed up and contorted with pain, yet, the fury and revenge lived on brightly in her eyes, showing she should stop at nothing for her true goal.

Krea placed a hand over the knife she had hidden underneath her dress, which can easily be pulled out by the slit she made, and stance herself, ready to protect either the king or the future man of Camelot. And a second too late, she saw the dagger glinting in the woman's hand, just as she threw it across the room, causing Krea's eyes to widen with fear.

Merlin. Merlin, goofy Merlin who always stood up for others and bluntly showed his dislike towards Prince Arthur, had pulled the blonde haired man away, letting the knife pierce the wall, and just like that the black haired man who had a powerful aura which Krea had sensed a while ago had just saved the future King of Camelot.

"You, boy! You have just saved my son," Uther exclaimed, dismissing the now dead old woman who lay on the floor, her eyes stricken with disbelief at her last final moments. She had failed, and if she had been alive right now the reality of this situation would be crushing her to pieces until there was nothing left of her shell.

"You must be awarded," King Uther continued, his hand placed on the serving boy's arm.

"No no, it's alright," Merlin stuttered modestly, shaking his hands a bit. Nonetheless he stopped the second he felt another hand place itself on his other shoulder, squeezing it encouragingly. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, Merlin saw it was none other than Krea, with a soft smile on her face, her usually emotionless eyes lightening up slightly with pride. But it wasn't the situation which appalled him right then, it was the caramel blonde with the silver embedded eyes, who for once since her entire time with him, had actually smiled, a true genuine one which reached her eyes.

"No, I insist," Uther urged, pulling the black haired boy out of his thoughts.

"Well, if you insist," he complied, smirking slightly with smug on his features.

"You shall be Arthur's new serving boy," he exclaimed, patting Merlin's shoulder just as he took it off.

**To be continued…**

_A/N: Thank you for all the follows/favorites! I hope you like the rewrite so far! Next chapter we'll be going into the next episode; sorry if you felt it might've had too much chapters for just one episode but that's just how I'm going to continue writing it. Please excuse any grammar errors and remember, I never owned Merlin in my life!_


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten: Eyes Are the Window to the Soul**

**Merlin POV**

To be blunt, I'm more than just exhausted. My bones ached as I walked, my body sore with small bruises decorating it (celebrating a certain someone's abuse), and my eyes had a hard time staying open, almost like I was about to shut my eyes for good. This was all thanks to that pompous, arrogant, nauseating clot pole named Arthur. He was the one who made me feel like the walking deceased, my energy torn out of me.

The second I became his new serving boy I was worked to the bone, like he thought I needed even more things to do. And it didn't help that I didn't know anything about being a servant, and so I had to learn, under Arthur's critical eye and his constant berating of my wrong doings. The blonde was really starting to get under my skin; he was becoming like a parasite, and even as he could see I didn't know or couldn't do most of what he was asking, he made me do it anyways! Today was even more exhausting than the others, and it was all because of the royals and nobles feeling like they need to show how better they are from the rest of us.

In a couple days from now King Uther is holding an annual tournament where knights from all around the realm come to compete, and of course Arthur had to point out how many times he had won the tournament; how he was the champion. And in result that meant he did training with none other than me, which usually ended up with me holding a shield as he wacked some kind of hammer or other powerful weapon at me, taunting me to fight. I felt like slamming one of those axes into his hot air-filled head (if I could even attempt to pick it up with my sore arms). Yet, I did have one thing stopping me.

Krea.

She's been busy as of late, but yet at the end of every day, when I'm too tired to even pick up a simple book, she's always there, helping me and encouraging me. I admit it was strange at first, after all Krea was known to be stoic and somber, I actually expected her to tell me to toughen up, yet she didn't and I had an inkling as to why. I knew she still felt bad for yelling at me the second time I got arrested for disrespecting the royal family (or just the clot pole) and I so I allowed her, finding comfort that I actually had a friend in this.

Gaius just kept reminding me it's my destiny to serve Arthur, no matter how rocky the road is currently, as well as the nauseating dragon, but it didn't help me, and I was seriously considering if they got the wrong guy. I'm not sure how much I am going to last serving that blonde haired weasel, but maybe it won't be too bad as long as I still got a certain silver eyed girl by my side.

"Merlin," a voice spoke out, right on cue. It was Krea, I knew; this was around the time she always visited me, taking care of me.

"Hey Kee," I answered cheekily smiling her way. It was a nickname I had given her over the past few days, and she didn't seem to mind so it stuck. I wasn't sure why I felt the need to give her a nickname, but I felt it suited her; a sweet little name you would expect to be on a child, not on a stone faced girl who never smiles.

"Are you feeling all right Merlin? Sore anywhere," she asked, very slight concern lacing her words. It was another thing I noticed; she was letting her emotions a bit looser around me.

"Just in the arms; Arthur gave me some weapons and had me "fight back" so he could train for tournament," I grumbled, my good mood dissipating as quickly as that.

"Let me guess, you just held up the shield, and did nothing else," Krea asked bluntly, and I almost flinched at how right she actually was, but instead, I scoffed, acting like that wasn't even in the slightest what I actually did.

"Pshh, no."

"Merlin, you don't have to lie, besides I saw you," she answered bluntly once more, her eyes telling me I need to tell the truth, and so I did. Her eyes just screamed danger towards me when I lied, it reminded me much of Gaius who I also found troubles lying to.

"Yeah well he expects me to fight back like some macho excellent-trained knight and truthfully I don't know how," I said glumly, feeling a scowl cross my features at the re-run of today.

The scowl was gone in a flash the second I felt her hand on my shoulder, slightly squeezing in comfort, and at the same time, not trying to hurt me. And before I knew it, I felt heat rise on my cheeks, staining them like red wine on sheets. This was yet another thing I noticed: since the night I was given the task of serving Arthur, I have felt myself noticing a certain blonde haired girl more and more. That night she had been gorgeous, and I think the with the fact that I had only seen her in rags and covered in dirt and injuries, it had a major play in how I saw her.

And here I had thought Lady Morgana was pretty, or even Gwen, but they weren't in comparison to Krea. I tried to tell myself over and over it was just because I had never seen her all cleaned up and wearing a dress that was actually clean and nice, but even then my thoughts always just roam back to the subject.

"It's alright Merlin. I… Know a few handy things with a sword, I could teach you some someday if you would like? That way you at least know something," she offered.

I let shock overcome me for an only a few seconds before I took over again, smiling cheekily at her. "That would be great, and then I can teach that prat a few lessons in messing with me," I hissed half heartedly, taking pleasure in the softness that flashed through her eyes, yet it only lasted a second.

**To be continued…**

_A/N: Sorry for the late update, here you go!_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven: Protection Can Go Both Ways**

**3****rd**** POV**

Walking down the now empty streets of Camelot, Krea made her way to the arena, ready for the first day of tournament. Peasants who wanted to get good seats made their way to the stands in the early hours of the morning, feeling excitement for today, which wasn't very farfetched. As sadistic as it sounds, they all loved a good tournament, or fight in general, so today the air was filled with rapidly beating heart beats.

However, the caramel blonde could care less about getting a good spot, for she had already seen enough tournaments to last a lifetime back in Tampia. Instead, her soul focus was more on a certain black haired boy. Merlin was suppose to be helping Arthur today, and she only hoped for Merlin's sake that Gwen had taught him enough to remember how to put the armor on. Rather than give her comfort and cheering towards the other's competing, she was more concerned about Merlin. She knew the past days had been tiring for him, but today he looked to be in better spirits.

Walking into a certain prince's tent, she soon found the man she was looking for.

"There you go, I think you're all ready now," Merlin commented, smiling cheerfully at his work. Yet, Arthur didn't look so amused, his eyes asking a question unknown to the boy before him.

"Aren't you missing something Merlin," he asked, sarcasm lacing his tone. It was clear to anyone that the two stood on similar ground: dislike towards each other.

In response the boy looked lost for words, looking over Arthur a couple times and not even noticing the blonde wasn't carrying a weapon.

"Here sire," Krea stated, making her presence known. In her hands she held his sword, and placed it into the carrier on his hip.

"Oh Krea, hi, I didn't see you there," Merlin said, smiling at the girl in relief. Being his current only friend in Camelot, except for Gwen who he still knew little about, it was always a relief to have the girl by his side for she always helped him.

"At least one of you is not a dimwit," Arthur commented, obviously making a deal out of the black haired boy's mistake.

"It was a mistake, _sire,_" Krea growled out, her voice suddenly harder than before, causing her friend to flinch. Even though the blonde prince would never admit it, her voice whenever she was defending Merlin definitely put him off; almost like a demon itself was talking to him. It gave him the chills, like little bugs running up his spine, and instead of dwelling on it, he shook his head as if to shake away the creepiness.

"Well then, I'm off," Arthur stated, changing the subject, and he left the two of them alone, the replay of her threatening voice in the far dark corners of his mind, and far from his focus on today. Today he would win, like always, and he needed his sole focus on fighting.

"Well Merlin, did you want to watch," Krea asked, turning to her friend, her voice back to her usual emotionless chill.

"Why not; I'm hoping I get to see him to get hit at least twice today," Merlin replied, gleefully imagining Arthur getting hurt out there; he felt like the man deserved it after days of being hit over and over again, and was put through all that torture.

"One can only hope," she answered, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. And just like that his shoulders dropped, relaxed; he hadn't even noticed before he was stiff, but Krea always seemed to know.

"C'mon, let's go watch; it will be a much deserved sight to see your prince struggle," the silver eyed girl answered, urging him forward, and taking her hand off of his shoulder. _Why does my shoulder now feel so cold, _Merlin thought to himself but shook away his thoughts, instead, he followed Krea out to arena, ready to watch the tournament.

"Gaius," Krea greeted, finding the older standing on the sidelines, ready to give any medical care to the harmed knights.

"Hello Krea. It seems whenever I see you, you're always with Merlin," he answered, giving her a small smile.

"I was just giving my comfort towards Merlin," she answered, causing the boy in question to pout playfully at her.

The trio turned their gaze to the sword fight that just started, listening as the crowd's cheer's got more and more intense. Merlin looked towards the stand which held King Uther as well as Lady Morgana with Guinevere by her side, who smiled and waved happily over at Merlin. He didn't know why, but he had a slight inkling that Gwen liked him more than a friend, but he didn't really take much thought into it the second he turned his gaze to a certain dark haired knight that he had never met, who was staring intently at Krea, his tongue darting out to wet his lips.

There was something in this man's stare which put Merlin off, and the way he was staring at Krea was like he had been starved and there sat in front of him was a juicy steak; cooked to perfection. He stared at her like if nobody else was around, he would've taken her right then and there, not minding whether or not it was consensual.

Right then, a loud sound broke Merlin off from his thoughts, and he watched as the man who he felt off about walked into the arena, his name being announced, accompanied with glorious cheers, mostly likely raising his already high ego. Sir Valiant.

**To be continued…**

_A/N: Thank you for all the follows and favorites! _


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve: Anger Is an Overwhelming Emotion**

**3****rd**** POV**

As Krea continued to watch as the men fought, her heart leapt up a few times whenever she caught a close call. It was something she had forgotten about watching a tournament, and that was the excitement in play with it. Her beating organ would become erratic every time a sword swung a bit too close to the neck, or any other place that would end up having them close their eye's forever, but thankfully, only a couple were injured, but mostly it was slight cuts and scratches that all you had to do was keep clean. And even though the black haired man next to her seemed neutral throughout the whole thing, she knew he was starting to get into it. Every so often she found the excitement in his eyes showing through, and how they would panic every time the person he was going for was starting to lose. It was quite amusing to her, but she kept that to herself, instead, she would just lightly pat Merlin's shoulder, and go back to staring at the fight playing out before her.

Turning her silver colored gaze elsewhere, her eyes came upon a certain man, one with dark brown hair and even darker colored orbs, one of which didn't sit right with her. There was something about him, some look in his eyes, which screamed monster in disguise; a serpent. In his arms he held a shield with vicious snakes on it, and Krea felt like that suited him perfectly; a snake.

The caramel blonde didn't mention to Merlin, but she had seen him stare over at the man, with obvious hate in his eyes. And even though Merlin's emotions could be erratic and random at times, she knew he too felt that there was something clearly wrong with the man.

Krea forced her gaze back onto the fight, watching as Arthur fought an unknown other, trying to keep her mind away from the snake-shield man, who was now obviously watching her with less than good intentions. The caramel blonde could handle a lot of things, but staring was always something that bugged her. Her peach colored skin started to crawl, and her heart beats rose up, pounding against her chest in almost a painful manner. She started to feel her anxiety build up and it was then she knew for a fact that there was something off about that man; he couldn't be trusted. For one, he's a knight, and yet he openly leered at her, and then there was the fact that he looked ready to kill anybody he met on the battlegrounds, even though almost all knights did everything in their power to make sure they barely even harmed the other in a tournament.

For some strange reason, Krea felt a desperate need for physical contact, and reached over to touch Merlin's hand, asking a silent question. When the said black haired man saw the area she was staring at, or the person to be more exact, he accepted her hand in his own, gripping tightly and in a comforting manner. "Just don't look at him," Merlin whispered softly in her ear, glaring daggers at the said man who was smirking towards them. If looks could kill the unnamed man would already be covered with vultures and flies by now.

Subconsciously, and without her knowing, the silver eyed girl instantly relaxed focused back on the tournament, wishing that time would fly by faster. And it wasn't too long before the man with the snake shield came back into view, taking on the final fight of the day. She finally learned his name. Sir Valiant.

**Merlin POV**

I felt beyond livid, and that was all because of Valiant. Meeting Krea, and knowing her in the small amount of time I have, I knew she wasn't one to easily show weakness. Yet, at the tournament today, she even _held my hand, _with fear. And I even had to comfort her to make her relax, which made me even angrier. I'm not a very angry person to be honest, but for some reason, I can feel myself getting extremely ticked off by the green clad knight who I haven't even talked to yet.

Watching as the last tournament ended, I thought I saw something funky for the knight against Valiant was doing very well, and then suddenly, he just collapsed, like he wasn't in the winning side in the first place.

Instead of dwelling on it, I loosened my grip on Krea's hand a bit, and pulled her closer to my side, glaring at the snake-shield knight as he walked by, oblivious to my earlier suspicion. I felt a growing need to protect the usually stoic caramel haired girl next to me, and even though I doubted she needed any protection, I did know that what I was doing was comforting her greatly for she accepted my gesture and even started to snuggle into my side a bit, which caused an involuntary smile to grow on my lips.

And as she looked up at me, with those silver embedded eyes of hers, I felt my heart soar, capturing the emotion of content on her face rather than emotionless.

Then we just stared at each other for a couple more minutes, her lush lips parting slightly as she breathed, but our moment was quickly interrupted by a certain obnoxious, blonde haired prince.

"Merlin, I need you now," Arthur stated as he took off his gloves, not noticing till the last minute about the moment which was now passing us. Something flashed in his eyes, which made me angry.

I knew Arthur was sort of fond of the caramel haired girl, and even though I would try ti play it off, I felt conflicted against Arthur, but I guessed it had to do with how he gets all the girls. Even though Morgana claims she only see's him as a brother, he knew she too fell for his "charming looks" and even Gwen said he was good looking, though she did say she preferred simpler men. But for a reason I couldn't understand, I didn't want Krea to fall for him either, and from the behavior towards him, it looked like she hadn't, just yet.

"Krea," Arthur greeted, his eyes glancing down at our enclosed hands before glancing back up at us, with obvious unhappiness with his steely blues.

"Hello sire," she stated politely, her eyes going back to their stoic state.

"Did you like the tournament," he asked, grinning smugly. He had then just realized he had won right in front of her eyes.

"Yes I did, you did fine sire. Though I have seen enough tournaments in my life, so it wasn't as exciting as to most people," she said, giving him a compliment and then quickly destroying it. It made me smile triumphantly.

Arthur quickly looked crestfallen before he shook it away, focusing back on me. "C'mon, get me out of my armor," he ordered, and strutted away, a bit of anger trailing after him.

I smiled down at Krea for short second before following after him, my side feeling suddenly cold without her pressed against it.

**To be continued…**

_A/N: Sorry for the late update, I have been busy :/ Anyways I got a review and I would just like to say thank you do much for reviewing AvengersPrincess15! Anyways, please excuse any grammar mistakes!_


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen: The Snake**

**3****rd**** POV**

Staring up ahead, the caramel blonde haired girl found herself lost in thought, her mind going through today's events. It had been quite a lively day, one expected for a tournament, and it had been a long one too. Krea wasn't sure what had possessed her to grab for the black haired boys hand, but deep down she admitted it was nice, and comforting. She was never on edge, even the most lecherous men she had just stared down with the cold silver eyes of hers and after they realized how much of a threat she was, they left her alone. But not this time.

Krea couldn't stand up for herself this time, mostly because it would bring suspicion towards herself. She needed to lay low, especially since Sir Valiant could possibly be one of the men hired to hunt her down. Krea didn't want to take any chances, so instead of glaring at him with full force, or threatening to gut him, she played the damsel in distress.

And now, she was at the feast, watching as people passed by, and trying to ignore the fact that Valiant hadn't stopped staring at her, like he had been hypnotized to never take his eyes off of her.

"It's a nice night," a voice commented, jerking Krea out of her thought as she turned to a particular face with a bound of curls on top of their head. There, standing in front of her, was Leon, who was smiling at her with a mug of ale in his hand. She hadn't talked to him in a while, though she did not forget their moment for she had slipped up at the time, but what she didn't know, was that he didn't suspect her like she feared deep inside of herself, instead he was intrigued by her, and hadn't stopped thinking about her. Though Leon admitted it was quite strange, he knew he needed to talk to her again, just to understand what was so different about her.

"It is. It seems that everyone is in a good mood from the tournament today," she said back, her eyes returning back to the people, watching as they laughed and got drunk alongside their friends. "I didn't see you participate," Krea recalled, her silver eyes turning back to his own, tilting her head slightly in an almost feline way.

"No, I didn't," Leon confirmed, trying to push down the sense of pleasure that she had actually been looking for a familiar face. He instead had stayed along the sides, silently cheering his prince on, and Leon had seen Krea also on the side, he just didn't talk to her. He mysteriously felt a bit angry, watching that he wasn't the only one glancing over at the complex girl, and in the end he just watched from afar, but Krea never noticed.

"Why, I think you're a great knight," the caramel blonde asked, her eyebrows slightly furrowing. She had before watched the said knight train, and she thought he was quite good, and still had lots of potential. But she had an idea as to why he didn't participate.

"I never been one for competition," he shrugged, taking a sip of his ale which had been previously forgotten for a couple minutes.

"You know, you can just tell the truth."

Leon slightly gaped at her, but quickly shook it off, denying that he had lied to her, which in reality, he had. He had his own reasons as to why he didn't compete, though he didn't want Arthur to find out why. The blonde prince would mostly likely scold him as if the curly haired knight was nothing more than a child who stole a piece of bread, but even then Leon wouldn't learn or accept it. He was too loyal for his own good.

"Sir Leon, it's obvious, to me at least. For others it would take some time for them to learn, but I know. You're very loyal to Arthur, as well as protective of him. I know that in tournaments, the person you are meant to fight is chosen by random. You fear competing because you fear that you might have to go against Arthur, which would either be sacrificing your loyalty and will to never harm him, or your pride and efficiency of your skills as knight. That is why you didn't participate," Krea continued, her eyes shining with wisdom, and doing the most peculiar thing; they softened just a bit. It had always been emotionless expression every time Leon saw her, but now, her usual hard silver eyes were soft, and filled with wisdom. The gentleman couldn't help but soften as well, his heart thumping against his chest as he stared deep into her pretty orbs. He like her as her, but this was a rare and very beautiful sight, almost as pretty as the night she wore that burgundy dress, with her hair up and the mud streak face no longer there.

"You're right," Leon agreed with a slight chuckle as he ran a hand through his curly locks of hair. "And please, call me Leon, or I might just have to call you Lady Krea," he said cheekily, grinning down at her. In return, the caramel blonde smiled, though it was obvious it was forced, he still liked the show of her pearly whites and the way her lips curved up, but their moment didn't last long, for just like the situation with Merlin and Arthur, someone interrupted it, clearing their throat loudly.

Almost on cue, Krea and Leon turned the other person, the caramel blonde's light pink lips instantly frowning at the sight of him. There stood Sir Valiant, looking as arrogant as ever, while he jutted out his obviously muscular chest, trying a bit too hard to out due Leon.

The duo hadn't known but Valiant had been staring at them the entire time, his vicious and cruel orbs showing distaste and obvious fury at the sight of them together. "Please forgive me, I just wanted to introduce myself to the lovely lady," Valiant stated, feigning politeness. Though in reality he was imaging ripping Krea's clothes off, and giving her a good dosage of hickeys all over her breasts. He forced himself to be calm so that he didn't show his excitement through his pants.

"Ah, Sir Valiant," Leon greeted politely, trying not to show his anger about the fact that that green clad knight just interrupted the two of them. He had felt himself enjoying his time with the silver eyed girl, which was always a rarity for him. Most girls bore him and were too petty for their own good, especially his own sister, and here he found a girl different from them all, and this man just interrupted it. Though the curly haired knight pushed that back to dark corner of his mind, and stuck his arm out, forcing smile towards the other man's way. "My name is Sir Leon."

"Pleasure," Valiant said rather quickly, accepting the shake and as fast as lightning, he turned his attention to the girl next to Leon, who quickly dropped the softened look from before and was back to being stoic. "And you are," he asked, smiling down at her, and holding his hand out.

"I'm Krea," she answered. Gingerly accepting his hand, Krea instantly regretted it for Valiant kissed her hand, but that wasn't the worst part. As he kissed her surprising soft knuckles, the tip of his slimy tongue darted out quickly from between his lips, taking in a taste of her. He was reminding her more and more of a snake.

The knight held in a groan as he straightened back up, watching intently for any emotions to pass through her silver orbs. _God did she taste amazing, I want more, _his thoughts leered lustfully. Taking a glance towards Leon, the green clad knight tried to think of a way to get rid of his presence, so that he could finally fulfill his desires of Krea, whether it was with consent or against her will, he wanted more of her, and that little slight taste he got from her made him all the more hungry, and he had to physically and mentally force himself to not let his eyes darken with lust.

But before he could speak, the caramel blonde spoke, quickly causing Valiant to become angry. "It was nice to meet you Valiant. I think I'll go over and see how Merlin is doing. I'll see you later right Leon," she stated politely, her eyes casted over to the said man, trying to hide her discomfort and her own fury towards the so-called knight who was trying (and failing) not stare at her like she was a piece of meat.

"Of course," Leon answered, completely ignoring Valiant's presence for a couple seconds as he smiled over her way. And just like that she left, making her way over to the black haired man who greeted with a smile, his eyes instantly lightening up at the sight of her.

"So Valiant, any girls you fancy tonight," Leon asked, even though he would rather go over to Krea and stay by her side tonight, he didn't want to make his dislike for Valiant that obvious, so instead, he decided on small talk. As a boy he was always told to give a person a chance before you judged them.

"Yes actually. Krea is definitely an intriguing girl," the other knight stated, oblivious to the fact that his eyes were trained on her delicious form, and it made Leon very angry, which wasn't like himself. He loathed Valiant now that was for sure.

**To be continued…**

_A/N: Hey guys! And we're starting to get to the more T-rated stuff now. I hope you all enjoyed some Leon/Krea! Thank you again to AvengersPrincess15 for reviewing! I don't command to have reviews but I am always happy when I get them. Please excuse any grammar mistakes._

_To AvengersPrincess15__: Thank you very much, I try to keep the characters in character as much as possible, but characters like Leon are so much easier to write since they didn't show up as often as Gwen, Arthur, etc. I am glad you like Krea! I try to have her more different that most OC's you come across in Merlin fanfics. _


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen: Slippery Snake**

**3****rd**** POV**

"Do you think Arthur will get his butt beat today," Merlin asked cheekily, smiling over at the caramel haired girl next to him.

"You can only hope Merlin, he does, after all, have nice swordsmanship," Krea answered, her eyes trained onto the battlefield before them.

Being the second day of the tournament, all of Camelot was in high spirits again, ready for another day of fighting. And even as Merlin pretended not to care, only except seeing their "beloved prince" get his butt handed to him, Krea could tell he was getting into it, again. Every so often he would let out a little cheer, but would catch himself as soon as it happened, which always made Krea and Gaius glance over at each other with knowing looks. The black haired boy had clearly stated before that these tournaments were simple-minded and foolish, but the silver eyed girl knew he only said it because it involved Arthur as well as some egoistical knights. They practically fed off of the attention and the compliments handed their way.

"I'm sure there's someone out there who's better than him," Merlin grumbled, though his own tone of voice betrayed him, the doubt lingering inside. So far Arthur has been undefeated, save a few close calls but that had been all they were; close calls. And even though the caramel blonde noted how well Arthur fought, she also knew that there was someone better than him out there, there was always someone better than the best, no matter how many fights they've won. However she awarded Merlin for recognizing the skills in his prince, he would be labeled a simpleton if he didn't.

"Hmm," Krea hummed thoughtfully back, giving the black haired boy a pat on his shoulder.

Her silver embedded orbs went back to the field, taking in all of the remaining knights, and felt her breath hitch for only a mere second before she pushed herself back to her usual self. She had caught sight of Valiant, staring straight at her with those creepy and eerie green eyes of his, smirking smugly at her, which made her stomach churn angrily. For one she just wished the man could keep his eyes to himself, but what infuriated her the most, was the fact that she couldn't stand up for herself without creating some kind of gossip, and so she still had to act like she was victim here, when he would very much be a useless corpse after she was done with him.

"Dang, Arthur has won _again_, don't these knights know how to fight properly?" Merlin commented hastily, and slightly exasperated, pulling the caramel blonde away from her thoughts and stopped the staring match between her and the green clad, egoistical knight. She watched as Arthur left the arena, at first professional and confident as the crowd cheered him on, but the second his icy eyes landed on his serving boy, he instantly turned smug, a smirk curling at the corners of his mouth. "Save it," Merlin grumbled, loud enough for the blonde prince to hear.

"Are you really sure you want to be talking to me like that _Mer_lin. I could throw you to the knights to be the training dummy for tomorrow's tournament," Arthur replied, grinning cheekily when he saw Merlin flinch and shudder at the thought. He was remembering just being Arthurs training dummy for one day, and that simply had been torture, but for a bunch of other knights? He wouldn't live to see tomorrow; however, being Merlin, he played it off.

"Don't you always say I'm too weak to even think about being a knight? I don't think I would be a very good training dummy, especially since they need _real_ practice, against a _real _knight; I think you might fit the job perfectly," Merlin snapped back cheekily, giving the blonde haired prince a wry smile.

The blonde glared at the black haired man, before he gave him a sadistic smile, which obviously meant that Merlin was going to have hell to pay for what he just said to the royal.

"Must you always fight," Krea interrupted, bluntly, her emotionless silver orbs trained on the duo instead of the current fight. The two suppressed a shiver of fear that rolled down their spines, looking at the slight fury in her eyes; even without knowing a couple of things she was capable of, they still freaked out at how deadly her aura can become. In all honestly Krea knew that this was how their "friendship" was like, she just didn't want to listen to them banter at the moment.

"Well if Merlin didn't act like such a idiot, and actually shut his big mouth for once, we could be on the same page," Arthur growled out, ignoring the fear that had overwhelmed him only seconds ago; it hurt his pride to even think about being afraid of come peasant girl.

In return, Krea sighed, realizing she had just made things worse. She was sure by the end of the day, she would definitely have a head ache; pain had already started to pound against the confines of her head.

"If Arthur wasn't such a cocky prat then maybe I could be somewhat civil with him, but he was born that way, so there's really no changing it," Merlin finished, giving another cheeky smile.

Shaking her head at the two, tuning them out, the girl turned her attention back onto the arena, finding herself frowning, yet interested by the sight. It was Valiant against another knight, and from the looks of it, the green clad knight was about to get a run for his money, which would definitely scrape at his pride. Krea watched with narrowed eyes as the hits kept coming like thunder, wondering if maybe this would put an end to Valiant and his reign of glory. That was until he raised his snake covered shield and hit the other knight on the neck, and suddenly, the unnamed knight was down, and Valiant was claimed the victor.

_There's something wrong here, _her thoughts concluded as she watched him being praised by the roaring crowd, who in return, feigned a smile at them. The girl glanced over as Gaius left their side and Merlin helped him carry the injured body off of the battle field. _Valiant was losing, so what exactly did he do that suddenly gave him the upper hand, _she pondered, scratching her nails through her hair in thought. _There was no way Valiant could've gotten the upper hand on the other knight, he was basically squashing him to the ground for heaven sakes. He may be a great fighter, but that knight would've gave even Arthur a chase. This doesn't make any sense… _

Without sparing another glance to the snake shield knight, she roamed over to the tent where Gaius and Merlin was, determined to hear what Gaius had found; she smelled a rat in the air, and if Valiant truly had cheated, then that knight deserved to face Arthur in the end. Something had been off the second she had seen that man, and this just made her ten times more suspicious. She wasn't what could be cause, and Krea had never been the to one to instantly assume magic was at play, yet, it's very hard to cheat any other way. _I just need to find the evidence, I just can't let this go in case this so called knight has some malice intent for Camelot. I can't always be doing things like this, even though I need to protect a number of people, I need to protect my cover as well. _She reminded herself, trying to ignore the pressure that built up in her chest. All these responsibilities were starting to build up.

"Seems to just be a few scrapes here and there, he was knocked unconscious by the impact from the looks of it," Gaius was stating, right as the caramel blonde woman walked in, her eyes instantly dashing over to the unconscious knight. "Oh, Krea, nice of you to join us," Gaius greeted, pressing a wet cloth against some of his very minor wounds, which made Krea frown, but only because the knight basically came out unscathed, despite his few scratches here and there, and yet he ended up being the loser.

_Anything can happen, and maybe that blow was powerful enough to knock him out cold, but I feel like there's more to it. Maybe I just want to find something so that I can get him as far away from here as possible, _Krea's thoughts wondered as she stared down at the man.

"What about that Gaius, that doesn't look like a scrap," Merlin pointed out, showing the unusual marks on his neck, and sure enough there was two puncture wounds, looking very much like a snake bite. _A snake. _

"That's strange, I don't believe I've ever seen that before, at least for tournament wounds," the older man frowned, touching around the small bite as suspicion lighted up in his eyes. It seemed the caramel blonde wasn't the only one smelling a rat here.

And with that, it was all Krea needed to see and know before she left the tent hurriedly. Valiant needed to be investigated as soon as possible, and before the final day of the annual tournament, where he would be going against none other than Arthur. _He could easily kill him, _her thoughts realized. At least she had some advantage in this for once she realized just how lucky she was that his attraction had been turned towards her.

And yet, she was disgusted with what she was just about to do.

**To be continued…**

_A/N: So sorry for the late update, I was having major writers block with this one, so I just worked on my other stories. Thank you all who followed/favorite!_


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N: IMPORTANT PLEASE READ: So I did some changed over in the last chapter so if you're confused about some things just read the last chapter. Thank you and continue onto the story. _

**Chapter Fifteen: The Serpent in Disguise**

**Krea POV**

I still couldn't believe I was doing this; I have killed people, lied, stole, and cheated people all for the sake of Tampia, but this was something I had never done, and truthfully, I wasn't sure what to even do. I was in no way seductive or able to send suggestive actions towards anybody, which was why I wasn't so sure if my plan was going to work, but I also knew that this was the best way to find out with raising any unwanted questions.

Tonight ended up being another ceremonious night, filled with laughs and spilled drinks as well as some drunken chatter. Everyone was in high spirits, even Arthur and Valiant who were to fight each other in a couple days, with the possibility of loss hanging above their heads like a dreary cloud. However, they both are the kind of person who has much confidence in themselves, and each one thinking that the other would end up being the sore loser. Yet, I had a suspicion that the reason as to why the green clad knight was so confident, was because he had a way to ensure that he would be the victor, the one the king will praise. Which was why I tried not to dwell on the thought so much, and tried to only thinking about saving Arthur, to not cause King Uther the loss his one and only child; he is, after all, now my prince, and I shall serve him to the best of my abilities.

I had ended up asking Gwen to pick out the sexiest dress I own, which was only two, in hopes I didn't have to use any flirting. I knew I couldn't flirt to save my life. And so currently I walked out in my pitch black dress, my hair uncomfortably sitting in some kind of fancy up do and strutted my way over to Valiant, who had his back turned to me, lifting my chin in confidence.

He currently was talking to two other knights, one of them being Leon, and started to chuckle at one of the things said. I tried to not think about how I was basically humiliating myself in front of them, but I decided to push past my pride, thinking solely on saving Arthur. Pride could always be restored again anyways. "Excuse me," I broke in, faking a shyly voice as well as placing a fake smile on my face, one that practically pulled painfully at all the unused muscles of my face.

Valiant turned around, shock coming forth for only a split second before they turned lecherous, like he was expecting me to coming running to him sooner or later. _He has no idea what my intentions are, at least, he doesn't act he knows, _I thought to myself coyly. "I was just hoping to speak with Sir Valiant, am I interrupting anything," I asked politely, a small part of my mind hoping that one of them would say yes. Even as I was dead set on this, to help my blonde prince of course, I also could almost feel the leering thought coming from a certain knight running down the skin of my body. I had to force myself not shudder in disgust at the way his eyes trained on me. It made me very much want to punch his straight in his face, a way I usually dealt with the horrendous men back in Tampia.

"Of course not, let's go away to somewhere quieter," the brunette man said in return, ignoring completely his two guests from before. He then placed a hand on my lower back, an action that caused fury to run in my veins, begging me to just snap his wrist away and to stop acting like such a damsel, but that was the part I had to play.

"Have a good night Leon," I greeted him shortly, noticing how unhappy he looked as Valiant escorted me away, something that confused me, but I then realized that maybe he too could see the venom hiding behind Valiant's façade.

Before he could answer back, I was being pulled into the hallway, slipping out from the festive room without anyone else knowing, and placed into the dark corner of a pillar, the shadows hiding us from the rest of the outside world, something I knew would please him. I knew I couldn't back out of this now; I was too far deep in the devil's deadly game.

"So, milady Krea, what was it you wanted to talk about, hmm," He hummed, his eyes turning dark with what I believed to be lust as he ran both of his hands up and down my arms, oh how I wished I could just break both of his arms right then and there, but I knew I couldn't, which irked me.

"I just wanted to congratulate you on today's win," I answered back, my voice tainted with a sickly sweet sound, one that made me inwardly cringe. I sounded so innocent it nearly made me want to barf, reminding me of the gold digging and power hungry girls that always came running to King Gerald's way, knowing his wife had long ago died. It almost made me sick.

"It was nothing, really, though I'm excited to go against Prince Arthur, I'm sure I'll finally get a well deserved challenge," he continued arrogantly, which made me want to glare at him. If there was one thing I taught the knights back in Tampia, was that never to be cocky, and prideful, because it surely bit you back in the end. I held in my inner loathing for him as I placed a hand on his own arm, tilting my head ever so slightly in an innocent manner, when actually, I was imaging snapping the bones in his arm right in half.

"A challenge you say?" I asked hesitently, unsure of what to say. I could feel my heart drumming in my chest, mostly because I didn't know what to really do. Truthfully, at this point I was winging every word that slipped through my teeth because once more, I couldn't flirt to save my life. _Should I compliment him more, or maybe be more forward with my intentions? That could raise suspicion though, the other night I was treating coldly… would he notice my sudden change of behavior? No, just don't think too much of it, go along with everything he says. Act like you're on the edge of your seat with every word that comes out of his slimy, disgusting mouth, _my thoughts echoed. I suddenly feigned interest, widening my eyes slightly.

"Yes, I always love a good challenge, especially a challenge like yourself," he grinned, pushing himself closer, while stepped back. He continued to do this little game until I felt my back was pressed up against the wall, the cold stone capturing me against him, making me inwardly swear to myself. This was never a good position, I needed to be in one that able me to move away, when needed; I needed to figure out a way to slip from his grasp. At least now I know I shouldn't be too forward, he said he liked a challenge after all.

"Me?"

"Yes, you. From the moment I saw you I knew there was something about you that was different from everyone else, and I like that," he purred in an attempt to be seductive, leaning in closely to my ear. Smirking inwardly, I pushed him back, secretly enjoying the disappointment in his eyes which caused my level of fury to smother down; probably hoping that I would've gave him some other sexual reaction in return. This man now officially completely disgusted me in every way, shape, and form.

"I guess you'll just have to wait and find out, have a good night Valiant," I said in a fake soft voice, moving out of my spot and leaving him behind in the dust. I was intending to hide somewhere so I could follow him to his room, but he suddenly griped my wrist and spun me back towards him, snaking his arms around my waist to hold me forcefully to him.

The knight then slammed his lips on mine in a forceful, possessive kiss, his taste over flowing my senses and making me want to gag, but instead, I acted like I was enjoying it, cupping his jaw in my hands to add just as much passion. Mentally, however, I was planning on taking a long bath afterwards, one that included me vomiting in a bucket to taste any but this putrid knight.

Seconds seemed like hours, and right when Valiant had shoved his slimy tongue through the barrier of my teeth, I shoved him away in return, discreetly wiping away his venom saliva that lay on my lips. "Good night," I stated again, faking another smile before I rushed away this time, completely ending this "thing" for good. And waited cautiously at the corner of the hallway, listening as his footsteps padded away, the opposite direction from the feast, exactly what I planned on. Get his separated from the others, follow him to back to his room with his proud demeanor crushed, and spy on him for strange behavior or actions.

It was the worst and most problematic plan I had ever came up with, but so far it was working, and that was something I could work with.

**To be continued…**

_A/N: I am so sorry for the late update, I hit major writers block with this one. Please forgive me. _


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen: The Fruit of the Forbidden Tree**

**3****rd**** POV**

Krea was an expert at keeping any abrupt emotions in check; locking them up in the cell surrounding her heart, crushing the key to the lock that held access to and fro. Even at her weakest points she still managed to push away those types of feelings. At any other time, after dealing with Valiant, and seeing what he had done; listening in on what he was planning to do, she would've been fine, just determined to make sure the lecherous man wouldn't be successful.

However, at this moment, she broke; shattered; snapped. Between acting like the damsel in distress, with letting the disgusting man kiss her, being too fragile and unable to train from the injuries she received, from losing the only thing that she had protected with all her being after a long time of staying emotionless and caring, acting nothing but a tool to be used, and losing the only person she dared to care about; the only person the caramel-haired warrior dared to love; she just snapped in half. She was overwhelmed, and tired, and she just needed to let off a bit of steam. Everything had finally hit her.

She had lost the only home she had ever known.

She had lost the only person she loved.

She was now stuck in Camelot, with nothing to do but to wait for a chance to retaliate while the people, the kingdom, she was protective after growing to love it, was now stuck in chaos and misery, suffering by the hands of a wicked, greedy ruler.

And now she was working three times as hard to make sure everything ends up being okay in the end. Making sure no one can see through her disguise, using things to seem like she was taking root in the vast Camelot, listening carefully for any news of Tampia, and finally, making sure Camelot itself didn't fall at the hands of the wicked, greedy, and the malicious.

For a girl who used to only care about herself for she had never wanted anybody around before (that was until she had met the kind ruler of Tampia) because in her mind, all they would do is stab her in the back; it was becoming too much. The silver eyed girl suddenly felt like she was suffocating.

Before Krea knew it, she was rushing out of the palace and into her dwelling as fast as she could through the shadows of the night, slipping on a dark cloak and grabbing the sword she hid in case of emergency; and with that she was gone from the barriers kingdom, sneaking out the eerie woods where the darkness would give her nothing but solace and sanctuary; a place where she could let her emotions loose from being bottled up for too long.

There was no holding back this time.

"Arhhh!" she bellowed like a warrior running to battle, her grip tight on her sword as she swung aimlessly and sloppily at the poor tree, slashing and bashing it over and over again. Her jaw clenched with fury, a dark glaze filled with mixed emotions of pain, loss, and angry residing in her usual stoic silvery eyes. To be blunt, she looked like a chaotic demon, filled with nothing but anger and wraith as she took it all out on the abused tree, ignoring the fact that she was being careless at the moment.

Any late night passerby could see her, could expose her, yet those worried thoughts were far, far from her mind at the moment. All she could see was red.

Krea kept swinging at the tree, letting out more yells through it hit, and soon lost count of how many times she had swung.

It wasn't long until her hits started to get even sloppier, slowing down through it hit, her yells becoming quieter until it become nothing more than a whimper. A pathetic, tiny whimper that spoke more than words; or at least, for a girl like herself, it screamed a bunch of things.

"No," she whispered to nobody in particular, her weak and exhausted body slumped against the battered body of the tree, her lips trembling as cold sweat dropped down her face.

And for the first time in such a long time, Krea cried.

**Leon POV**

"What's-s wrong Leon, you look-k like a lost pupp-py," one of the other knights teased, his words slurred from the numerous amount of drinks he had consumed, and it was obvious to both I and everyone in this room that the ones who were drinking the most, were the knights who had lost previously or just today. It was evident on their faces.

I chuckled lightly, patting the man on the shoulder as his head bonked onto the table top, groaning in displeasure.

"Had to many drinks," I teased back, a forced smile making its way onto my face. All I received in return was another agony filled groan. I guess the liquor was finally hitting him.

Sighing after I took a sip of my ale, turning to watch everyone around me, I found that they were in all high spirits, however, I for some reason, couldn't seem to join them. And I had an inkling it was because of Krea. She was barely in here for a couple minutes before she headed towards _Valiant_, saying something that was completely out of character for her, and walked out with him, making me wonder what exactly was going on.

_Was the way she acted before not how she usually is? Or was she just drunk already? _I questioned in my head, letting my cheek rest in the palm of my hand, my eyes drooping a little as I focused on my inner thoughts. If that was truly the kind of person she was, than I guess she wasn't any different than all those other girls I had met before. I thought I saw something in her that out of the norm; something that made her better than all those others.

_Her cold persona, the way she ducked when I so foolishly swung thinking that I was strangely being attacked… It was different, and unexpected. The way she barely showed any true emotion on her face, just forced smiles and feigned happiness looks… I thought I had seen something worthy in there. Gah! Why does she confuse me so? _I pondered to myself, still finding myself stuck and lost; I would have better luck trying to escape a labyrinth than trying to figure out this troublesome woman.

Rubbing my forehead as I felt a headache forming (from both the alcohol and the thinking), I sighed, deciding it wasn't really worth my time thinking about it now. What's done had been done, and now I'll just have to see tomorrow if I truly judged her wrongfully, which in this case, I hope that I was right in the beginning, that something was indeed different about her, that made her all the more special from any person I have seen/met.

Standing up from my seat, casting one last look towards Prince Arthur, making sure my prince was okay, I let the room, and then, the palace, in need of fresh air and away from the ale smelling palace.

The night air was nice and cool, much more relaxing than the place I was had been in just minutes before. The darkness that surrounded my being gave me no fear or discomfort; in fact, it seemed actually comforting and helpful for my oncoming headache.

Letting out a sigh as I ran a hand through my hair, I glanced towards the forest just outside the palace, my eyes lingering.

_I'm still a bit tense; hopefully a walk will help. _I thought to myself, turning towards the area filled with miles and miles of forest area, heading deep into the woods, and ignoring the fact that I was being reckless. The woods was not a safe place to be at night, even being inside the kingdom's walls at night can prove to be deadly, however, with a sword strapped to my hip I wasn't too weary of what I was getting myself into.

After walking for a while, I suddenly found myself frozen, my hand perched onto the handle of my sword, listening intently on the sound that echoed nearby. As my eyes narrowed, I stalked towards that sound; I still couldn't determine whether it was friend, foe, or victim. And being careful with each step I took, I could the sound's starting to get louder and louder. When I finally came to the source I suddenly felt lost for words, my hand falling limply from the handle, my eyes wide with shock.

A caramel blonde woman, with eyes that looked to be embedded with silver.

Krea.

She bellowed out warrior calls over and over as she bashed the tree with the sword in her hand. She was beyond furious, her eyes gleaming with a deadly intent, the non-seeable aura surrounding her form nearly chocking me with its power.

Soon, her actions started to get slower, and I realized the angry was fading away, now all I could see in her eyes, was a look I never wanted to see again. Pain and loss.

From sticking beside Arthur all these years, having to secretly watch over him for the man was truly too prideful for his own good, I had gotten accustomed to reading people's emotions. Whether their intents with Arthur or any noble/royal for that matter were good or bad.

And I could see clearly that Krea was truly suffering; she was drowning in a pool of depression and pain, with no one to grab her hand and pull her out for she kept everything to herself; she didn't dare to call out. Krea was the kind of person who dealt with it on her own, not of pride, but because of something else that I have yet to figure out.

Watching steadily as the caramel blonde who I had known to be stoic nearly all the time, the tiniest bit of light coming into her eyes whenever she was with Arthur's manservant though those were rare, break down and cry, tears falling down her face like waterfall, showing just how long she's kept everything in. The misery was unimaginable.

Every fiber of my being wanted me to go over there and help her, and strangely, I had had this urge to take her in my arms and to remind her over and over again that everything was fine (but I simply ignored it). However instead of helping her like most would want to have happen, I turned and walked away because I knew she wasn't like any normal person. She wouldn't accept my help or sympathy, she would turn me away.

But that didn't stop me from vowing to myself that I would help her, sooner or later, she wouldn't feel so alone anymore. Ultimately, I ignored the curious and suspicious questions that popped into my head and simply just turned my thoughts away.

_What is this that I'm feeling, _I pondered to myself, pressing a hand against my now pounding heart.

**3****rd**** POV**

Krea took in a shaky breath, shaking her head lightly as she dipped the freshly made sword in the bucket of water, ignoring the burning at the wave of heated steam that bombarded her face.

After her explosion last night, the blonde found her thoughts somewhere else time to time, her steely silver orbs glazing over as she fell deeply into the pit of her thoughts. Even Merlin, who wasn't the brightest when it came to emotions and feelings, could see that there was something defiantly bugging Krea. And of course, in result, it bugged him too.

He had noticed it first when he left to go to Arthur's chambers, and passed the girl on the way, noticing how she barely even acknowledge his presence. And afterwards, she still remained the same; the ever so faraway look residing in her eyes. It also didn't help that the black haired servant was also thinking back to Valiant, and how he caught the slippery snake of a man using magic to win his last fight, preparing to finish Arthur off so that he could get the prize, so that he could attain the glory of defeating the man who had won the tournament three years in a row.

It wasn't long before Merlin too found himself acting distant as well, only half responding to Arthur's insulting words or demands, unlike his usual quota. He just couldn't keep his mind off of the other.

The blonde prince would be lying if he said he preferred this quiet Merlin over the other, because truthfully, it was starting to freak him out a bit. And it was only when he had finally snap, did he learn the truth about Valiant, and was a bit surprised to find that it was Merlin who had figured this all out on his own.

Which was the reason as to why they were now doing a small trial based on this accusation, whilst, Krea stayed to herself while working alongside Tom, ignoring the looks he casted her way, obviously knowing that something was stuck on her mind. And of course he would know, he does have a daughter himself, he knew when girls had something bugging them, and knew better than to let them deal with it on their own. Besides, he quite liked the caramel blonde girl; she was kind to him, and seemed to treat everyone with the respect they deserve.

"Is there something troubling you Krea," he asked, though Tom already knew the answer.

"No, not really, I'm just… thinking," she muttered slowly, her eyes shining with a bit of sadness as she gazed on the newly made sword, not even taking pride in her and Tom's work.

"You know, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm always here," He hummed back, glancing at the girl through the corner of his eyes, watching as she openly considered it, but quickly shut it down, her eyes becoming dull once more.

"Thank you, but I'm fine Tom," she assured, yet, it was all fruitlessly. Tom could clearly see she was definitely not okay. Going back to his own accord, he decided not the mention the fact that he could see from her bloodshot eyes, and slightly puffy cheeks, that he knew she had spent the night doing anything _but_ sleeping.

**To be continued…**

_A/N: Sorry for the late update once again, been really busy! Thank you for the reviews/follow/favs! Please excuse any grammar errors!_


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen: The Domino Effect**

**3****rd**** POV**

"Come in," Uther commanded, rubbing his temples tiredly while he sat in his chair, obviously exhausted with today's events. He knew his son to be honorable; however, to accuse Valiant of such things all based on a _serving boy's_ word was completely outrageous, and Uther felt as if he had been made an utter fool in front of everyone with having his son do such a thing. He had thought he raised Arthur better, he knew he had raised Arthur better, which was why he couldn't comprehend what had just happened.

"Your Majesty," A familiar smooth sounding voice entered with such grace that could put doe to shame, causing the king to shift his eyes over to the door, finding none other than Krea standing idly by, the gigantic door now shut closed. "I apologize for coming at such an hour; however, there is something you need to know before tomorrow begins." She stated in her ever so emotion lacking voice, her steely silver orbs dancing over to his own icy blues.

"What is it," he asked immediately in his gruff voice, not beating around the bush.

"You should know, sire, that what Prince Arthur had accused of Valiant of doing is not farfetched. That knight has been cheating, and before you say anything else, no, I am not accusing him. I am well aware I have no evidence to do as such which is why, tomorrow, you should have one of your men on standby, and if Arthur is starting to lose against Valiant, have your man come onto the grounds and stop him, or it could prove to be a deadly end." The caramel blonde advised, however, it was more of a command than anything. Though she kept her powerful voice away, there was still a certain tone to her voice that dared the king to object.

He narrowed his eyes. "And what good will that do? You're a knight, as well as a general. You know how these tournaments go; there is no special treatment, not even to those of royalty. Arthur has to show his is strong enough and brave enough to be able to lead a kingdom, or else, everyone will see him as an heir unfit to lead."

Krea sighed after a couple moments of thinking it over, she knew that that option was something they couldn't resort to. Uther, was of course, right, and even though the girl knew it, somewhere deep inside, that he was right, she had been foolishly hoping.

Foolish was something she could never afford to be.

"You are right, I am sorry your majesty. Then I shall hope that Valiant shows his true colors to you during his duel with Prince Arthur. Please do not take my… worry for offense, I do have a faith in Prince Arthur's capabilities. I am just… fearful is all." The blonde continued solemnly, bowing her head slightly in acceptance.

"Then we shall see at the tournament whether your words are true or not. You are dismissed."

**Time Skip, 3****rd**** POV**

Sometimes the silver eyed girl loved the fact that she had been expertly as a strategist, or else, she would find herself on edge and fearful for knowing (possibly) the prince's death, and not being able to stop it.

After spending hours and hours the night before, going over everything she knew about both Arthur, and Valiant as people and warriors, she came up with the most likely outcome.

Arthur had been trained for a very long time in the art of fighting, with both weapons and hand-to-hand combat. Because of being taught so long, the only feeling he felt when he was having a duel was simply arrogance that wasn't always there at times. Other than that he was calm, cool, and collected, focusing on his enemies actions so that he would be able to guess his opponents next move. The only time he seems to get angry (when he is in combat at least) is when he a surprise produces itself, and he is momentarily thrown off.

Valiant, she knew little to none about, however, she did notice this; he was basically the opposite of Arthur. He got furious quicker than Arthur does, and because of that, he goes into "fight mode" and doesn't think straight, just simply continues to ruthlessly attack his opponent. And from the way he fights, such as his stance, and how he monitors his opponent, Valiant hadn't been trained nearly as long as Arthur, or at least, wasn't trained to watch your enemy as well, not just ruthlessly attack with all your strength.

And because of that Krea knew that the only reason Valiant might win is simply because of his magic-infused shield. Even if the green-clad knight managed to get the blonde onto his back, Arthur was a fast thinker, quick on his toes when it came to combat, and could easily get the upper hand.

Arthur had a better chance of winning even with having to go toe-to-toe with that snake shield.

But in case there were to be a game-changer thrown into there, Krea was ready. She had a plan to protect Arthur, and to indirectly, protect herself.

To be truthful, the caramel blonde held no nice feelings for the man; even if he was kind, somewhere deep inside of his being, the prince didn't like to appear nice and basically treated the servants (who the royals wouldn't last a day without) like they were nothing but the dirt under their feet. And so, Krea was simply saving him for her; she still needed much time before she could go save her own country (who's overtaker seems to be getting stronger and stronger as time passed), and in order to do that, Krea needed to stay in Camelot where she would be safe under Uther's helping hands. That meant Camelot needed to always be at its strongest.

Rubbing her head, the girl felt an oncoming headache after spending the entire night, and almost the entire morning thinking about all the outcomes. _I need to relax my body, just for a bit, or I won't be at my best when the important time comes around, _Krea chastised herself as she made her way to the arena.

Thankfully, the final duel was not supposed to start for another couple hours, enough time to rest her mind.

"Krea!" A familiar voice called from behind, causing the caramel blonde haired woman to turn around. Krea soon found herself face to face with Merlin, who smiled cheekily at her, attempting to ignore the fact that he was just as tired as she was with same, yet also different, reasons.

However, nothing could pass her critical sight, her observant orbs narrowing when she took note of how Merlin looked, and instantly, Krea's entire plan flew out the window as she was now more worried about the one person who she started to consider as a friend was just as tired as she was.

Dark bags were draped underneath his once bright and youthful eyes, feigning happiness and excitement when he actually looked like a walking corpse. Merlin's shoulders were sagged, the corner of his lips twitching downwards every so often, the smile he plastered onto his features were going to make his face split, as well as a small limp in his walk.

She hated it. Merlin was suppose to be sincerely happy and goofy like he always was; seeing this mentally and physically exhausted Merlin was not something the caramel blonde haired woman enjoyed seeing.

Gritting her teeth, she responded as calm as she could muster. "Good morning Merlin, how are you," she asked, her silver orbs narrowing at the particular sight of the packs hanging underneath his own icy blues.

"I'm doing fine," he lied, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Are you okay… you don't look too well," he continued worriedly, also examining her own exhaustion that marred her features. Unlike most, the raven haired man could actually read Krea. He'd admit, there were times when he had no idea what she was thinking, for the emotionless mask she would wear was just too heavy to see underneath. But at times like these, where she pretended that everything was right in the world, he could see. And he knew, as well as she, that they were both equally tired, and knew the other was just lying.

"I'm doing fine as well," she answered back, catching the disbelieving look that Merlin shot her, however, she decided to ignore it. Her cold eyes scanned the grounds, thankful that it was only her and Merlin; she was not looking forward to the moment when Valiant shows up, she needed time to herself before she had to deal with the annoyance of having to deal with him and his irking arrogance. She tightened her fists absent mindedly, replaying that putrid scene in her head, being reminded of just much her honor has fallen.

She had once been so strong; a General, General Krea of Tampia. And she had been so respected, despite her shaky past that, to this day, still made some wary of her, it did not hold any regards to the amount of respect she had been given to not only the civilians of Tampia, but the knights, and the nobles as well.

She didn't need to let a man slip his tongue into her mouth just figure out where he'd be staying so that she could spy on him. Before, she interrogated him, and all the information she needed, and then some, would be given to her in record time.

Krea didn't have to hide then; she bared her true strength for everyone to see, gaining admiration, fear, as well as enemies along the way.

Now, here she was. Having to allow a man to leer her way all because she couldn't show her true strength; she couldn't give the man a good punch as well as maybe a cut or two along the way. The smallest things could give her position away to the watchful eye, and it wasn't exactly common to see a girl who knew how to throw a punch, as well as one that fit the description on the wanted posters you could see it some of the villages and kingdoms.

And while the silver eyed girl continued to mull her thoughts inside the confines of the dark corners of her mind, she didn't notice that Merlin had tried talking to her for the past couple minutes. But eventually gave up when he fully took in the far away glaze in her eye.

After a few minutes, he heard her sigh deeply, her eyebrows furrowing as her silver orbs glared at the ground.

Ignoring his own fatigue, he gave her a large cheeky smile that he knew she wasn't seeing, and lightly poked her forehead, causing her head to instantly jerk back upwards, staring into his own deep blues. "You shouldn't worry too much, you'll get wrinkles that way," he teased light heartedly, poking her forehead again. "Beside he's the almighty _Arthur Pendragon_, he deserves to get his butt kicked, maybe he'll finally realize just how much of a prat he is," Merlin stated sarcastically at the beginning, smirking near the end.

Krea stared emotionlessly back, merely blinking back at the black haired servant, however, Merlin caught the slight twitch at the corner of her lip, right before she turned her body towards the arena. "I'm not worried for Prince Arthur," She stated, her gaze barely glancing over at the male before turning it back onto the empty land. She was being honest, she didn't particularly care for the blonde haired royal, all she cared about was having a stable place to stay before she was to return back to Tampia.

Arthur however, well, she truthfully hadn't forgiven him for the way he acted towards both Merlin, and the other servants.

"I'm just… tired," the caramel blonde said honestly, her eyelids drooping. She felt the male gingerly pat her shoulder, and even though it wasn't much, Krea didn't need much; compared to the past she had, that was actually a lot.

**Time Skip, 3****rd**** POV**

Crossing her arms, Krea watched intense as Valiant made his way into the grounds, waving at all of his "adorning fans" who practically screamed his name much like a banshee. A smirk was plastered on his face, his cockiness starting to show through. And Krea felt her earlier anger rise again when his gaze shifted over to her, especially when he grinned knowing, his lecherous eyes dragging over her form like a piece of meat. Wrapping her fingers around her dress, she hid her clenched fist within the fabrics, and with all her being, she kept the furious look off of the features of her face.

Arthur came onto the arena next.

Merlin, as well, was staring intensely at the field, watching Arthur's every move with slight concern making its way onto his face. "I thought you said Arthur deserves a good beating," Krea hummed lightly when she noticed his staring, trying to break the heaviness in the air.

"Of course he does," Merlin answered with a small scoff.

"Merlin, the look on your face says otherwise," Gaius piped in with a cheeky grin of his own as he walked up, standing right next to Krea. "How are you my dear," he then asked, ignoring the annoyance on the black haired servants face.

"The bruises are healing nicely, thanks to you of course, but I have been feeling a bit weak recently," she admitted, her eyes never once leaving Arthur and Valiant as they finally met in the middle of the arena.

"Understandable."

And then, the duel started. Swords clashed, Arthur bearing a look of impassiveness, the green clad knight smirking for he knew that even if he didn't win against the prince, he still had a card up his sleeve. Krea instantly bit her lip, her eyes trained onto them as their swords clashed over and over, both equal in power and strength. She stiffened her body, positioned herself slightly in case she needed to get in between.

Because of this, she never noticed how Merlin moved a farther from both her and Merlin, sending a small nod towards Gaius who instantly understood what he was trying to say.

That's when it happened.

Arthur got a good hit on Valiant, and the snake shield wielding knight hit the fence hard, his face contorting with pain. Quickly Valiant pushed back, and managed to get a couple feet between the two.

That was when the snakes appeared (so suddenly), Krea smiling inwardly to herself when she caught now standing, glaring angrily at the magic being exploited. Valiant on the other hand looked angry and slightly confused, whispering at the green snakes something that the girl couldn't hear.

The snakes then popped out the shield and headed straight towards Arthur, the prince instantly cutting off their heads as well as stabbing Valiant while the man was distracted.

Like that, it was all over; Arthur was fine, breathing heavily as his eyes ran over everyone attempting to look anything but winded, but his flushed cheeks said otherwise.

And even though the caramel blonde was glad that she didn't have to step in, she was still perplexed, and slightly suspicious. Valiant controlled when the snakes came out from what she had seen yesterday night, so the question was, was why he looked so sincerely confused as the why the green creatures on his shield were suddenly coming out, when he was the one to summon them.

_I'll have to look into that later, _Krea thought to herself, her silver eyes narrowing down at the shield that now laid waste on the ground.

**To be continued…**

_A/N: Thank you for all the follows/favs! Hope you enjoy the update. Sorry for the short action/fight scene, bad at those to be honest. _


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen: Unexpected Loyalties**

**3rd POV**

The basket held on Krea's forearm swung lightly as she picked up some food from the outdoor market, inspecting it as the caramel blonde strolled along, nodding to a couple of vendors that she had gotten to know as I passed.

It has been a couple of weeks since the general in disguise had come to Camelot, and it was only later that she was nicely surprised to find that Tampia didn't differ from Camelot all that much. Though Tampia (had originally been) is definitely a more peaceful and kind kingdom that was not afraid to neither start a war nor end one (Krea was unsure of how much the kindness has changed considering it was now under the rule of a rather selfish and cruel "queen"), Camelot was kind too, as well as peaceful. In most kingdoms it was every man for themselves, which is the reason why those kingdoms didn't prosper as much as Camelot and Tampia have. So when Krea found herself surround by rather giving people, she found herself… glad in way to find that maybe she wasn't all too far from home.

But Camelot could never replace Tampia.

Though the silver eyed woman had been finding herself even more homesick lately, she was fortunate for the distractions Camelot provided. Most of her days she spent working as an apprentice under Tom, who was patient enough to teach her as he ran his business. And though it wasn't her first option, Krea found herself starting to like blacksmithing; it was interesting in a weird way, and she found herself feeling a bit pleased whenever she sharpened a blunted sword, or created better armor.

But even then she felt nostalgic; constantly surround by weapons and defense mechanisms reminded her of her days as a general, reminded her of the knights she used to teach; used to fight alongside with.

Sighing, Krea ran a hand through her caramel tresses, and stopped by one of the venders she was beginning to see daily, giving a short nod to the older couple as she inspected their numerous trays of produce. Their names, she had learned to be Mira and Gullison, were the pure definition of kind and wise, always greeting Krea with a bright smile and a friendly wave.

And though she never told them, the reason why she always headed to the lower towns market everyday was just to see them, finding herself intrigued with their always, and completely sincere expressions they gave her.

"Hello, back again Krea," Mira asked with a small chuckle, a bright, sincere smile stretching at her lips. "You know, most people would buy enough food to last them a couple days, not get such small portions each day," she teased lightly.

"Hmm," Krea hummed lightly, though she said nothing else. However, unlike most people, it didn't bother the couple in the slightest.

"Is there a reason why you come around every day," Gullison then asked, and though he said it lightly, there was a deeper meaning laced within his words, one that both Mira and Krea had both picked up. But neither said anything about it.

"It just helps me get out is all," Krea said stoically as always, waving it off as she picked up a couple of potatoes and some peppers. Handing her money over to Gullison, she gave the elderly couple another nod. "Have a nice day, Mira, Gullison," she said shortly, as always, right before she turned and walked away, leaving the duo behind as they shared knowingly smiles.

Walking, Krea took in the time to analyze the mighty walls of Camelot for the millionth time, still trying to acquaint herself with the vast and beautiful kingdom. _Upper parts of the walls and the middle section are always be weak points on a wall; no matter how sturdy of wall is built, there is always one spot that bring the entire wall to its knees… it could be right in the middle too… _the blonde woman thought to herself absently, easily maneuvering her way through the sea of people. _But then again, in some walls it's the bottom part of the wall that is the weakest since it's holding much up, then again, ambushing armies seem to care so little for something like a wall-_

"Krea!" she heard a familiar voice call, breaking her out of her thoughts as she turned to find a certain black haired servant running towards her, a goofy smile lighting on his cheeks while the caramel blonde just waited for him passively.

"Merlin," she greeted back emotionlessly as he finally reached her, panting heavily as he rested his hands on his knees. "What is it, is Prince Arthur giving you more troubles," she then asked as she took in his disheveled attire. Though Krea knew well enough about statu' and that she could not do any harm to Arthur (in fact, she knew that if she were to not only keep herself safe, as well as the kingdom that is an ally of King Gerald, she would have to keep the blonde prince from harm), it didn't mean that she had to like him. All she felt for Arthur was hatred, mostly for the way he treated Merlin, and wished to do something to teach the man how to treat servants with actual respect (another thing she admired of King Gerald was that no matter what status you had, if you were a nice person and had treated him with respect, he would do the same for you, unlike another king she knew).

"He's pratty, as usual, nothing to really worry about," Merlin waved it off after he finally caught his breath, before sending a brilliant smile towards Krea, obviously happy to see his cold, silver eyed friend. "Anyways, I was just wondering if you'll be at the ceremony tonight."

"The ceremony?" Krea asked, furrowing her eyebrows a bit, unsure of what the servant was talking about.

"Yes, there's a ceremony tonight for the celebration of Camelot's peace with Mercia. Lord Bayard from Mercia has came down to celebrate, of course," he mumbled a bit at the end, obviously displeased with the luxurious party that the nobles seem to throw around like it was nothing. Krea had a feeling he was a bit more grouchy than usual because he, along with the other servants, were having to work even harder to complete all the preparations for tonight.

"Hmm, I haven't heard of it yet," she commented stoically, though inwardly, she was wondering why Uther hadn't informed her of it yet, but had an inkling that the reason why was simply because he was having troubles finding time for just the two of them to talk without anyone around. Despite him being a king that could make time for everything, he's also a very busy king, and seeming always surrounded by people.

"So, you're coming tonight, right?" Merlin asked, and then, his brilliant smile turned cheeky as a teasing glint filled his beautiful blue orbs. "Or don't tell me, you rather accompany that one knight, hmm?" he continued to tease as he raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"Who," she asked plainly and slightly uninterested.

"That one knight I see you talk to occasionally; with the curly hair," Merlin explained, inwardly relieved that she didn't seem all that close to that knight now, though he wouldn't admit that.

"You mean Sir Leon? No, we have only talked to each other a couple of times," she admitted with a small shrug of her shoulders before she continued to make her way back to her home, with the black haired man striding next to her.

"Awh c'mon, I can practically see the sparkling chemistry between you two," he continued, causing Krea to roll her eyes and let out a small huff, internally denying the fact that her lips started to twitch up a bit.

She was used to Merlin's antics by now, especially since out of everyone in Camelot, she spent the most time with him and Tom, Gaius being a close second. He enjoyed teasing her about the littlest things; she could simply catch eyes with some random man and he would suddenly claim that they were secretly together.

"Don't you have anything better to do," Krea changed the subject, attempting to secretly rid of the smile that was creeping up on her pretty lips. "Isn't there another sickness that needs curing?" She continued, obviously referring to the week earlier about how random people in the kingdom had started to fall ill under some unknown illness. The caramel blonde knew that Gaius and Merlin ended up stopping the disease, which the woman was thankful for. There was something eerie about it all, especially the corpses that it would leave behind; turning their eyes an icy blue, and their skin turning ghostly pale with a tint of blue as well.

She would've helped the duo at the time at stopping the disease, but she too had been busy for her mentor Tom had fallen ill, and she was forced to take over his shop (with the little she had learned so far) in his stead, with Gwen helping her along the side. Fortunately, he was one of the very few to recover.

"Yes, I'm too busy galloping away on my shinning stead to help damsels in distress, and to save all of Camelot," Merlin commented sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he spoke.

"Something like that."

"Psh, when you say it like that it makes me think you don't believe I could actually do those things."

"I never said you couldn't."

"But you never said I could either."

"…"

"Awh c'mon Kee, do you have no faith in me," Merlin pouted slightly, crossing his arms over his chest much like a child.

"Merlin, I've told you before, and I'll tell you again, I'm not like the others. I see something in you, something strong, something powerful that most can't see. I believe you could do any of those things that you stated, and more," Krea replied bluntly as she cocked her head to side, watching as the serving boy looked at her with wide eyes, a heavy blush sprinkling onto his cheeks.

After a couple seconds, the black haired male realized that they were standing outside of her door, and had been there for a while, causing him to sheepishly rub the back of his neck. "So, ahem," he clear his throat, causing the red to start to dwindle down. "Will you be at the celebration?"

"Yes, I see you there Merlin," the blonde woman replied smoothly, and watched for only a second as Merlin walked away, before she headed inside and set her veggies down on her table, thinking about how she could meet with the king in secret concerning the ceremony tonight.

**Time Skip, 3****rd**** POV**

Krea paused at the door, and found herself knocking gingerly. Usually she was always confident, with a powerful aura always surrounding her, but she was wise enough to know that most kings didn't like to be interrupted (all except King Gerald who always welcomed her to his room any time for any reason; he always seemed to care about Krea). Almost every king she had met did not like to have their personal space ventured into, unless of course you were a servant serving them in some way, and they preferred to keep serious manners in the throne room, which was why Krea was so hesitant to intrude into King Uther's personal space.

However, much to her internal relief, she received a husky "c'mon in," from inside the room, and she walked inside, finding Uther sitting in one of his chair, looking rather worse to wear which was understandable; despite what others thought, entertaining a noble for long periods of time was quite exhausting.

"Krea," he greeted shortly as he stood up to his feet, watching with his steely eyes and the caramel haired general bowed to him. "I'm glad you came here, I had planned on discussing some matters with you earlier, however, I was having a hard time in finding us some time to talk alone."

"Yes your majesty, I'm sure you are very busy, I have overheard the news," she continued politely, deciding to get right to the point.

"Hm, yes, tonight we will be throwing a ceremony in honor of our newly founded peace with Mercia, featuring Lord Bayard form Mercia." Uther continued as his voice that had been slightly weak before was now filled with strength. He then strolled up to the stained glass window, staring out at the people on the streets. "That is where you come in."

"Yes your majesty, is there anything I could help with," she asked, grasping her hands behind her back and she straightened herself. Even if Uther wasn't the king she still would've helped him, she was a woman who liked to pay people back for their kindness towards herself (like she was still attempting to do with Gaius and Merlin), and felt indebted to Uther for allowing her to stay within his kingdom, and for protecting her identity as well as giving her a roof to sleep under. It was kindness that would not go unawarded.

"Though Mercia is now our allies, after the signing of the peace treaty, I am still wary of them. I would like you to watch all of them, including their lowest ranking servant, for any suspicious behavior, and report back to me later."

"Yes your majesty."

"You may go now."

**To be continued…**

_A/N: Another chapter. I'm so glad to see more people following and favoriting! Thank you Runner Runner, DD, and AvengersPrincess15 for your kind reviews! They're much appreciated. Sorry for any grammar mistakes. _


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen: The Shield**

**3****rd**** POV**

Tying off the end of her five strand braid, Krea patted down the wrinkles in her dress, ignoring the itchy and uncomfortable feeling of the tight corset around her mid-section, and the rough under fabric rubbing against her skin. She knew it was customary for women to wear dresses at such a gathering, and well mostly all the time, but it wasn't like she fancied dresses all that much; despite their pretty appearance the material used for most dresses were always itchy and rather uncomfortable hence the reason why Krea only wore them if they were absolutely necessary.

Staring at her image one last time, she stepped out of her tiny home and headed towards the castle, her calculating gray eyes roaming over the mostly empty street. She knew what was expected tonight, and was prepping herself for a long night ahead. _Hopefully there will be nothing to find, though I must admit, I myself am concerned and skeptical of the ceremony tonight. I just hope Mercia will be smart enough to not start something with Camelot, _she thought to herself with a hardened gaze, but as quickly as her silver orbs hardened, they softened once again. _If they do start something hopefully Merlin will stay out the way, I'm can't be sure that I will be able to protect him amongst the chaos…_

Letting out a deep breath, she soon found herself standing in front of the doors that lead to the feast being held inside, the faint smells of food and liquor filing her senses, but instead of like a normal feast, there was no laughter or distant sounds of chatter.

It was quiet, serious.

And as the caramel blonde girl walked inside she immediately found the air to be tense. Krea found that unlike normal times where everyone just loitered about, all the knights of both Mercia and Camelot sat at the tables, while the servants stood on the side stiffly. All of their focus onto the two kings who stood in front of the peace treaty, reading things over for the final time. Everyone in the room was well aware of what might happen if an incident may occur tonight, especially if it was caused by one kingdom to another.

This was definitely no light hearted moment.

"Krea!" Merlin quickly welcomed her joyfully (despite the serious aura surrounding the place), a large smile crossing his lips as he spread his arms wide open. And despite all the dreading he felt earlier when Arthur had so kindly showed him what he would be forced to wear at this banquet, he was immensely happy to see his friend had come to ease his pain; seeing her more dressed up then usual was also a bonus.

He found it both humorous and pleasing to see the usually emotionless and cold girl to be dressed up as if she was just another one of the girls.

"Good evening Merlin," she greeted calmly back, her stoic eyes never changing as she regarded the black haired servant. She took in the large feathered hat that sat upon his head, nearly making him a while foot taller than he actually was, and the brightly red and decorative outfit he wore.

"What are you wearing," Krea continued, simply raising a single eyebrow in question.

"Oh this," Merlin frowned, fingering one of the dramatically large feathers that sat atop his head. "Arthur made me wear, he said something about how it's "the official ceremonial robes of Camelot," or whatever, that prat."

"… I see."

"Oh come on, it's not that bad," Merlin continued to pout, though he had to admit, it was getting bothersome to ignore the questioning looks he got as others passed by. As well as the snickering from the knights who, not so discretely, watched with the dark haired serving boy with amusement.

It was only when a smiling Gwen had walked up to the two and then had abruptly let out a small fit of giggles, was when the black haired boy finally broke. Almost as if the hat had burned his scalp, he ripped the horrendous thing straight off of his head. Slightly flustered, Merlin patted down his messy hair, attempting to ignore the obvious amused grin on Gwen's face.

"Nice hat," she quickly tried to cover up as she attempted to stifle her giggles.

"Thanks," Merlin answered sarcastically as he pursed his lips. Though suddenly, he found his attention stolen and quickly drifted from the conversation.

"And hello to you Krea, I wasn't sure if you were going to come or not," Gwen greeted sweetly.

"Merlin invited me," the said blonde answered back shortly, though not unkindly.

"Ah I see, well I'm glad he did because I'm sure heaven knows you need a break. I myself worked for my father for a while, and I know how exhausting it can get."

"I agree; it is definitely taxing labor." Krea nodded, before her attention went back to the boy, realizing that he had drifted out of the conversation.

Glancing back over at Merlin, she found him staring over at one of Mercia's handmaidens, and instantly, her silver orbs narrowed onto the girl. She was pretty, and had this innocent beauty that could sway nearly any man or woman; however, there was something unearthly about her. This mystery girl's smile said that she was nothing short of a sweet, pure girl, but her eyes spoke differently. Krea could see the malice and darkness that resided in her strangely bright blue eyes, something that instantly put the blonde on edge.

"She's pretty- for a handmaiden I mean," Gwen commented hurriedly, also having taken notice of the male servant's gazing. Though unlike Merlin, Krea could catch the small amount of jealousy that laced into the other girl's words.

"She's pretty enough to be a princess, let alone a handmaiden." Merlin responded wistfully, causing the caramel blonde to inwardly shake her head. Though Krea had never been one for crushes, especially during the days she trained to be the warrior she was currently, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity when seeing Gwen's crestfallen expression.

Though she never experienced it for herself, she had heard unrequited feelings were quite the heart breaker.

"Mmm," the exotic maid wryly smiled, and despite Gwen's efforts, disappointment was still found it's way into her eyes as she focused onto the two kings once more.

Ripping her eyes away, Krea focused onto King Uther and King Bayard as well, her empty eyes intently watching as the two older men signed the treaty, and then clapped their forearms together in a sign of respect. With that everyone started to stand and clap, the hard tension that had overtaken the room just moments before now dwindled down. While Gwen then moved away from both Krea and Merlin, and stood next to Gaius with her back straight and strong, though she continued to frown as she was still sore from what her black haired crush had said earlier.

"People of Camelot," Bayard thundered when the clapping settled down, and everyone sat once more. "For a great many years we have been mortal enemies. The blood of our men stains the ground from the walls of Camelot, to the gates of Mercia. And though we remember those who had died, we must not allow any more to join them…"

The king continued to go on with his speech; however, the blonde general in disguise tuned him out as she focused her eyes back onto the Mercian handmaiden from earlier. There was something off about her that Krea didn't like, especially now that the handmaiden had a small, mysterious smile on her lips with her eyes trained onto the three royals on the room.

She didn't seem to be remorseful about all the men who had died for their land; it was as if she didn't care how important and how beneficial this peace treaty was going to be, how many lives it was going to save.

It was as if she was waiting for something to happen, something that would please her greatly from the way her deadly dark blue eyes lit up when another servant brought out a small chest, and went to stand next to King Bayard.

Narrowing her eyes, Krea knew instantly something was up. Her gut feeling was telling her that the peace treaty the two kingdoms had just signed was not going to last as long as they had hoped. Slowly, the blonde woman moved her hand onto her hip, feeling where she had made a small slit over the hilt of her knife; it so that she could reach the knife that was strapped to her side much easier and quicker if something were to happen.

Removing her eyes from the suspicious handmaiden, she focused back onto the king of Mercia once more, watching the handmaiden out of the corner of her eye so that Krea wouldn't lead on that she knew something was up.

"… I present these ceremonial goblets, to you, Uther Pendragon. And to your son, Arthur Pendragon. In hope that our friendship may last for many years, and many years to come." Bayard smiled while the servant beside his unlatched the chest revealing to beautiful constructed goblets, and started to remove them from their casing.

Almost immediately, Krea took note that the mysterious black haired girl was now by Merlin's side, a frantic expression taking over her face as she approached him. "Merlin? I need to speak to you." She said, her voice laced with obvious fake fear that the black haired male easily fell for while Krea didn't. Turning to look over at the other girl, the blonde's face void of any emotion, she watched the two, taking in how the Mercian handmaiden took one glance over at her and was instantly on guard.

"What is-"

"Not here please! I don't know who else to tell." She pleaded, grabbing onto his arm desperately, refusing to even look over at Krea again.

_She's definitely up to something now, her acting is fake, and she's taking Merlin away so I can't hear their conversation. If this was really an important matter that it couldn't wait, it wouldn't have matter who had heard as long as the most important people had heard… Then again, she did say she doesn't know who to trust… _Krea thought calculatingly to herself as she slightly narrowed her silver orbs onto the other girl.

"Okay, okay! Um, Krea I'll be right back," Merlin stated hurriedly, and went off with black haired girl before the blonde even had a chance to respond, not that she would've said much anyways.

Waiting until they were out of the room, she slipped out of the feasting room as well, pressing her body against the wall that was out of their eye shot. She then listened intently as they talked in hushed, but loud enough tones.

"It wasn't until I saw him give the goblet to Arthur that I realized-"

"Woah, slow down. Start from the beginning." Merlin quickly interrupted, confusion evident in his voice.

"Two days ago I was brining Bayard his evening meal. I was supposed to knock, a-and he didn't expect me to walk in…"

"So what are you saying?"

"If he knows I said anything, he'll kill me!"

"I won't let that happen to you," Merlin's voice strongly added. "I promise. Now please, tell me what you saw."

"Bayard," she said slowly. A tiny, humorless laugh lacing her words as if it what she was about to say was ironic. "Is no friend of Camelot; he craves the kingdom for himself!"

"Kara-" Right then another servant walked by, and instantly Krea softened her posture, nodding to the man as he walked by and into the room where the two kingdoms presided. "Tell me," Merlin continued his voice deadly serious. "What has Bayard done with the goblet?"

"He believes if he kills Arthur, Uther's spirit will be broken, and Camelot will fall." Krea tensed slightly, her jaw clenching as her hands tightened into fists at hearing the accusation. Either this so-called "plan" was an awful one, or a made up one.

It would be ten times more beneficial to kill Uther, for killing Arthur would only set Bayard as the target of his rage. And from what King Gerald had told Krea a long time ago about Uther and his bloody days, it was that he was man to not be tested. This was a man who had brutally killed hundreds of magical creatures and people, and set fear into the hearts of those who are still remaining. The king of Camelot would have no trouble at all ripping apart Mercia, even if it had to be done brick by brick.

Killing Uther would make more sense. After all it would put Camelot at a disadvantage, for Arthur is not ready to rule at all and would be struggling to learn, giving everyone who hated Camelot (or more specifically the Pendragons), a chance to destroy it once and for all.

Clenching her fists even tighter, to the point where her knuckles turned a milky white, she listened carefully once more. Krea wasn't ready to believe this plan just yet.

"_What has he done with the goblet_?" Merlin asked tensely again.

"I saw him putting something in it."

"What, what did he put into the goblet?"

"I shouldn't, he'll kill me."

"Please, tell me! Is it… poison?"

There was silence, and Krea knew that Merlin had hit the nail on the head on that one. Instantly, she rushed back into the room, her eyes hard as she scanned the room, now noticing that the goblets from earlier were now set in front of Arthur and Uther, who were sitting at their table, listening to the other king intently.

"And may the differences from our past remain there." Bayard stated as he raised his own goblet, and though he wasn't smiling, the blonde saw that genuine in his eyes. He really was glad to now be at peace with each other, and though Krea knew better than to instantly assume, she had a gut feeling that if there really was poison in Arthur's cup, it wasn't because of Bayard.

Everyone rose, their own cups raised along with the king of Mercia's.

"To your health Uther… Arthur… The Lady Morgana… The people of Camelot…" Bayard continued wishfully.

"And to the fallen warriors, on both sides," Uther stepped in, giving the other king a small nod who nodded back in acceptance.

Taking in a deep breath, Krea moved to stop the royals when suddenly, Merlin's voice broke into the air loudly, causing the stoic woman to stop in her path as her silver eyes narrowed onto the serving boy running into the room. _No… Merlin… _She thought, both anger and sadness filling her veins, knowing that a verbal lashing was about to come. _You should've let me handle it, _she couldn't help but think too herself, despite the fact that she knew he couldn't read her mind, and therefore didn't know of her intentions, she really wished he would've held on just a second longer.

"Stop! It's poison, don't drink it." Merlin screeched, freezing everyone in the room as he ran in. He then abruptly ripped the goblet from the blonde prince's hand.

"_What_?" Uther gritted out, his deadly orbs turning hard as he glared daggers at the black haired servant.

"Merlin? What are you doing?" Arthur asked, just as furious as his father.

"Bayard laced Arthur's goblet with poison." Merlin boldly accused, not even realizing how serious this situation was, and how bad the repercussions would be if Arthur's goblet turned out to be fine.

"This is an outrage!" Bayard boomed back, his eyes instantly filling with anger. As if on cue every knight in the room unsheathed their swords, ready to defend their own king if needed.

Taking over the situation that was suddenly getting out of hand, Uther quickly calmly continued, putting his out as if to soothe the other royal. "Order your men to put down their swords. Your outnumbered," He reminded the other king as more guards from outside came bustling in, quickly surrounding Bayard along with the other knights of Camelot.

Bayard's eyes turned hard as he held his own sword out, ignoring the fact that he was completely surrounded by sharp blades being held by the hands of experienced fighters. "I will not allow this _insult_ to go unchallenged." He growled out steadily.

Placing her hand back onto her hip, the caramel blonde watched the scene before, knowing for a fact that something horrid was going to happen.

**To be continued…**

_A/N: I know another late update, but I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! Thank to those who followed and favorite it!_


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty: The Blooming**

**3****rd**** POV**

"And on what grounds do you base this accusation on?" Uther commanded steely, his cold eyes penetrating into the dark haired serving boy. Krea swallowed hard, knowing that if Merlin could not prove his accusation, he could very well be losing a head tomorrow, something that pained her heart.

"I'll handle this," Arthur quickly said, making his way over to his servant; the female general could see the disbelief and fury crackling in his blue orbs. "_Mer_lin, you idiot; have you been at the Sloe Gin again?"

"Unless you want to be strung up, I strongly _suggest_ you tell me why you think it's poisoned. _Now_." The king of Camelot interrupted strongly, ignoring his son's soft pleas.

"He was seen lacing it," Merlin answered confidently.

"By whom?"

"… I can't say," Merlin whispered softly after a moment of silence.

Krea bit her lip anxiously, her face expressing a look of concern that was rarely ever seen. _This isn't good; Merlin is only digging himself a deeper hole. He not only has the ire of one of the most deadly and dangerous kings in this entire realm, but the ire of another influential king as well. Neither will allow this to go unpunished. In their eyes Merlin is a servant; expendable. Right now he is playing a serious game with none other than death himself. _She thought to herself nervously, for despite her best wishes, she was already good friends with Merlin, and promised to help him in return for the kindness he displayed to her.

Meaning, at this moment, if Merlin could not prove that the goblet is actually poisoned, then the blonde woman may very well lose her protection of the King of Camelot to help save her friend.

_Yet, if I do that, I may make Uther an enemy of Tampia… I… don't know what to do, s_he thought sorrowfully to herself, realizing for the first time in a long time, she doesn't know which way would be the right way to follow. _For now, I'll just see how it goes. _

"I will not stand to listen to this anymore." Bayard sneered.

Uther stared at the other king for a second, contemplating. "… Pass me the goblet," he ordered calmly after a small pause. Swiftly, Arthur handed over the goblet without another word, sensing it was better to be quiet in this tense atmosphere; for now at least.

"If you're telling the truth-"

"I am," Bayard quickly interrupted, his jaw tightly clenched.

"-then you have nothing to fear, do you?" Uther continued calmly, staring down the man in front of him. Sheathing his sword back, Bayard reached for the cup assuredly.

With a small sigh, Krea shut her eyes for a second; she knew at that moment that this whole situation had nothing to do with Lord Bayard. The caramel blonde had been trained for many years how to study a person, to read their body language and tell what they are thinking, and she knew that the King of Mercia was completely innocent. He was just too confident that the cup held no poison, to even go as far as to drink it; that there was no way he could've possibly orchestrated this. The plan was too messy and the so-called mastermind of the plan was too genuinely confused.

Either the goblet held no poison, or if it did, it was not by the hands of Lord Bayard.

"No," Uther quickly stated, "If this does prove to be poisoned, I want the pleasure of killing you myself." Turning towards the black haired servant, Krea felt her heart lurch inside her chest, knowing what was about to come. "He'll drink it," the king continued, handing over the cup to Merlin.

"But if it is poisoned he'll die!" Arthur exclaimed abruptly, his wide, desperate eyes boring into his father's own cold ones.

"Then we'll know he was telling the truth."

"And if he lives," Bayard questioned.

"Then you'll have my apologies… _and you can do with him as you will_."

"Uther please! He's just a boy, he doesn't know what he is saying," Gaius swiftly stated, quickly trying to grasp onto the situation.

"Then you should've schooled him better." Uther scolded harshly back.

The prince in the room looked around, and despite his rather dislike for his serving boy, the blonde tried to grasp the situation as well in an attempt to save the life of the one and only servant he could actually handle to be around; somewhat. "Merlin, apologize to Lord Bayard. You know what? This is a mistake, I'll drink it." With that Arthur reached for the goblet that rested in his servant's hand, but before he could hold it Merlin ripped it out of his reach.

"No ,no! It's all right," Merlin answered back softly, though unlike his voice, his bright sea colored eyes ripped right into Bayard as he reached up to press the rip of the cup against his lips, and drank every single drop calmly. The air in the caramel blonde's throat caught, and though she expressed an unperturbed look, in reality her heart was racing against the confines of her chest. Her mind going haywire with both anxiousness and desperation; desperation for what, she didn't know, though the girl wasn't sure if she wanted to find out.

A pregnant silence filled the air, everyone watching tensely as Merlin stood there quietly. Though Bayard, on the other hand, looked completely smug when nothing happened after a few long-lived seconds after Merlin had drank from the goblet.

"Its… fine," Merlin concluded, his voice filled with disbelief.

"He's all yours," Uther commanded, fury and embarrassment resting on his features for the whole incident. But before anything else could happen, Merlin started huffing, gripping his throat vainly as if open his airway.

Without another thought, the general in disguise rushed over to her friend right as he started falling to the floor, catching his slender form so that she could softly lay him on the ground. She only vaguely heard someone yell "it's, poisoned! Guards, seize him," though her sole attention was on the unconscious black haired male. Both Arthur and Gaius dropped to the side of her hurriedly, staring down at Merlin.

"Merlin, do you hear me?" Gaius asked as he lifted up the younger boy's eyelid. "He's still alive, for now, but we have to get him back to my chambers at once. Bring the goblet; I need to indentify the poison." Quickly Arthur lifted Merlin onto back, and with that they all headed straight to Gaius' chambers, Gwen racing on their heels.

_Merlin… _Krea thought faintly to herself, watching her friends deathly pale face lying against the prince's back.

"Lay him on the bed, quickly. He's struggling to breathe; Gwen fetch me some water and a towel. Krea, grab me some blankets just in case we need to regulate his temperature." Krea nodded seriously while she headed over to the closet. "For now he is burning up, but with fevers they can easily change from being hot, to being too cold."

"You can heal him… right Gaius?" Gwen asked nervously as she handed over the damp towel, fiddling with her fingers with apprehension.

"… I won't know until I can identify the poison." He answered honestly. "Pass me the goblet."

Without a word Krea handed the physician the poisoned chalice, setting extra blankets besides Merlin's bedside. Not even realizing what she was doing, the girl dropped next to Merlin's side, and started stroking his sweat slicken hair. For the longest time she had remain immune to feelings; the only one she had allowed these feelings with were when she was with King Gerald. But other than that she had detached herself away from others; having one special person was hard enough to protect, but having more was something that was completely unknown and unwanted for Krea.

And yet, here she was. Seconds ago she was ready to throw out the entire future of Tampia, the place she loved more than anything, all for a serving boy who somehow managed to latch onto her dead, beating heart. _Oh, the cold irony, _the girl thought wistfully to herself, her pale skinned hand still stroking Merlin's tresses.

"Ah, there's something stuck inside… It looks like a petal of some kind. Krea, could you please use that towel on Merlin, he's still burning up, for now we need to keep him cool."

"Of course," she answered stoically while wiping away the already forming sweat on the servant's brow.

Pulling a weathered book from the shelf, Gaius started to flip through the pages until he stopped onto the page he had been looking for. "Ah, just what I assumed. This petal comes from the Mortaeus flower. It says here that someone poisoned with the Mortaeus can only be saved by a potion made from the leaf of the very same flower, and that can only be found in the caves deep beneath the Forest of Baloch. The flower grows on the roots of the Mortaeus tree."

"That does not look particularly friendly," Arthur commented on the illustration of a beast that stood right next to the caves, seemingly guarding its entrance.

"That would be a Cockatrice; it guards the forest, and its venom is very potent. A single drop would mean certain death. It says here: "few who have crossed the mountains of Isgard in search of the Mortaeus flower have made it back alive." It seems the only really deadly thing standing in the way of the Mortaeus flower is simply the Cockatrice; which have been known to sometimes be easy to slay."

"So, basically, to get the antidote is to travel all the way to the Forest of Baloch, which is at least a two days travel; one day if you're lucky. To go down into the caves of the Mortaeus tree to get the flower which, from the looks of it, appears to be a rocky cliff. And all of this is guarded by a giant beast." Arthur mused, shaking his head lightly. However, his eyes stopped onto the dying form of his black haired servant, who appeared to be in more agony than before. Despite how he may treat the smaller boy, he never wished the male ill will; even though he would never admit it, Merlin had saved Arthur twice now, and for that the blonde prince was eternally grateful.

"Sounds like fun," he continued determinedly.

"Arthur it's too dangerous!" Gaius jumped in.

"If I don't get the antidote then what happens to Merlin," Arthur swiftly cut in, apprehension filling his usually joking blue orbs.

"… The Mortaeus induces a slow and painful death. Merlin may have four, maybe five days, but not much longer than that. Eventually, he will die." Gaius answered both grimly and reluctantly, his sorrowful gaze resting onto the boy that he was starting to think of as a son. However the physician knew Arthur well and he knew that this would only increase Arthur's determination to help the young, black haired male. Gaius had known the prince since he was a mere baby, and despite everything that Arthur may say about Merlin, Gaius knew that Arthur, inwardly, considered Merlin to be a good friend; whether he'd admit it or not.

Without another word, Arthur stormed out, with Krea's silver colored gaze following his back. She knew there was no way Uther would let his son risk his life for someone as expendable as a servant, but she recognized stubbornness when she saw it. Even if the king had to chain Arthur down the prince would find a way to escape, and even _if_ Krea had decided not to go get the antidote (which was very unlikely for there was no way she was going to let Merlin die), she would've had to leave any way to ensure the prince's safety.

**3****rd**** POV, Time Skip**

Never before had the prince been as perplexed as to what he should do. He didn't want to go against his father for what Uther had told him had made sense, about how the king had no other heirs, and after Uther dies the kingdom will rest on Arthur's shoulders. On the other hand, Merlin had risked his life for Arthur, and even despite the fact that Arthur is a prince, he just couldn't believe that his life was worth more than Merlin's. However, after the small prep talk Morgana gave the blonde haired prince, Arthur felt even more determined and ready to face it all on.

He will find the antidote. He will save Merlin just had like the serving boy had done for him on a couple of occasions. Besides, who would Arthur had to torment and mess around with, who isn't afraid to insult him back once Merlin is gone?

Tightening the straps of the bags, the blonde prepped his horse for the journey, hoping to get out of the stables before his father finds him missing and sends guards out to search for him. However, before he could get onto his horse, a foot crunches against the hay covered grounds, instantly causing Arthur to stop, knowing that it couldn't be a servant for they didn't work at night.

As Arthur glanced up he found a figure standing in the darkness, looking as if they too were about to head out on a journey. Shaking his head, the blonde immediately assumed he knew who it was. "If you think you're coming with me Morgana then you are sorely mistaken," Arthur chastised towards the person hiding in the shadows, his eyes glaring their form.

He was instantly shocked when the person stepped out, and caramel blonde locks as well as an indifferent expression revealed none other than Krea. She didn't even comment on what he had said, instead she did a quick once over before nodding her head approvingly. "I am coming with you," she stated stoically, bringing Arthur out of his shocked stupor.

"No, I'll be fine enough on my own. Besides, you have no fighting experience; you should stay back here, and watch over Merlin," the male ordered back. But before the man could even blink, Krea had her sword lightly pressing against his throat, and one of her daggers barely even grazing his gut.

"With a flick of each wrist I can easily kill you right now," she whispered softly in his ear, once again shocking the blonde prince. Pulling away, Krea turned back to her own horse which she had prepped while Arthur had been away, contemplating on what action he should take.

Swiftly, Krea leaped on the creatures back and raised a single eyebrow Arthur's way.

"Well, are you coming or not," she answered back calmly before moving her trotting horse out of the stables.

**To be continued…**

_A/N: Sorry, another late update, though I made it a little longer for all of you. THANK YOU FOR FOLLOWIN/FAVING/REVIEWING!  
To Reading-Stories-Only: Thank you for the review lol, sorry that it's been a while. Hope you like the chapter!_


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